K is in Trouble

In Gary Clement’s debut graphic novel, K is in Trouble, middle grade readers are introduced to K, a young boy who just can’t catch a break. He’s always getting himself into trouble! The story, itself, is split into five short chapters, each one depicting the various ways in which K finds himself in various degrees of trouble.

In the first chapter, K is late for school, and so it goes without saying that he’s in trouble! After being sent to the principal’s office, K meets a talking beetle who helps K explore the city as they embark on a “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” type of adventure.

In the second chapter, K is home sick when he hears a crow knocking on his balcony window. After opening the window to see what is the matter, not one, not two, but a murder of crows overtakes K’s apartment, destroying its contents in the process. Let’s just say that K gets in trouble.

Next, K’s class is going on a field trip to a local castle. When his professor loses his spectacles on the train, it is K who is sent to retrieve them. After being separated from his class, K is suspected of loitering by the local constable, a situation which leads K to, once again, get in trouble.

In the penultimate story, K is sent on an errand by his mother to buy a lively carp for the holiday. Setting off with his pail in hand, K’s getting lost twice, causes him to get to the fish market too late. After being outwitted by an old man and his trickster carp, K finds a local fisherman who gives him a carp to take home, but the catch is – K must give him his pail. In a madcap race to get home with a live carp in his arms, K is mistaken as a thief, and the whole neighbourhood decides that K is in trouble!

Finally, in the last chapter, K wakes up one night and is terribly thirsty. After being told to go back to bed by his parents, K decides that the best way to get a glass of water is to put some snow in his cup. Once he’s on the balcony retrieving his snow, K mistakenly locks himself out of the apartment, an action which awakens his neighbours. What follows is a hilarious tale of whodunnit as his neighbours all demand to know who’s making so much noise!

A silly, madcap adventure, K is in Trouble is a hilarious take on the absurdities of life from a child’s perspective. It is all about the myriad ways that adults make up the rules along the way and the infinite possibilities for a child to get into trouble. Young readers will love reading about K and his strange adventures and will learn that adults don’t always have all the answers.

Adding to this graphic novel’s appeal are Gary Clement’s wonderful illustrations. Done in pen and ink with gouache, or opaque watercolours, the art has a very fluid, almost childlike feel to it. Furthermore, the vintage feel of the designs adds much levity to the storylines.

Overall, wickedly funny, a little wacky and with tons of slapstick humour, K is in Trouble is recommended for library collections.