This book reminds me of the Science Comics format and please take that as a HUGE compliment! I loved this book and so did my kids. It is a great way for them to learn and to really enjoy reading!

A group of students meets up with the Physics teacher from their school, Ms Gritt, for Car Club every week to earn some extra points in class and the skills to take care of their own vehicles. Readers get to join Car Club’s meetings and learn with the students the parts of a vehicle, what those parts do, how to take care of basic car repairs, and suggested upkeep.

I am totally not a car person and before reading this I only knew the names of main parts of the car and the gist of how some of them worked. The way everything was broken down in the book was really easy to follow, and I totally feel like if I needed to I could carry out many of the tasks outlined. The book is put together under the guise of a fictional situation and you get to know each of the characters a teensy bit, which helps make this much more easy to swallow than reading a flat out how-to car manual. That said, though, it also isn’t quite the thing you’d pick up if you want a riveting story. The instructional and informational aspects of the book are definitely the main point and take up 99% of the page space. So I’d categorize it overall more as an easily palatable nonfiction graphic novel rather than fiction. And I’d highly recommend it to any first time (or long time) car owners, especially those who find normal car manuals intimidating or sleep-inducing. Also a great idea for a gift for someone just learning to drive. I’ll definitely be adding this to our secondary library.

Notes on content [Based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content. Two potentially deadly situations if repairs are done wrong are illustrated with some dark humor (non-gorily).

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I adore First Second’s Science Comics line. Most all of them are terrific true-life graphic novels about interesting topics. Not only are they educational, they’re entertaining, and well worth reading.

Now the publisher has expanded their non-fiction line with the new Maker Comics, which are similar, but focused on craft and skills instead of intellectual knowledge. The first two books are very different in topics, but both are equally informative and practical, covering things most people would benefit from learning. And like Science Comics, they introduce creative characters and situations to make the lessons memorable.

Maker Comics: Fix a Car! by Chris Schweizer mostly takes place outdoors. Several students have come together for Car Club with Ms. Gritt in order to learn how to maintain their vehicles. The kids have different kinds of cars, from a fairly standard sedan to a junker that needs to be rebuilt almost from scratch.

From the beginning, our narrator emphasizes how achievable this all is. Tips are provided to keep things simple and affordable. The oil change section even explains why you may not want to do it yourself, based on costs and purpose.

Topics cover what basic tools are needed, how to check fluids regularly (and when you’d want to), replacing windshield wipers, finding the source of a squeak in the drive belt, and changing a tire. The comic format is perfect for this, as the reader can see, for example, how to check oil with a dipstick as the characters do it. The use and importance of various systems are explained, including brakes, the battery and electrical system, and in the back pages, spark plugs, exhaust, suspension, and more.

I doubt I’ll be doing any of the activities shown here, but I really appreciated knowing a lot more about how vehicles run, and I feel more prepared for an emergency, like a flat tire or needing a jump start. And some of the sections — such as the one on why it’s important to be a good, patient driver or how to properly clean your car, inside and out — don’t require any mechanical effort.

I like the way each book begins with a warning page, reminding readers of different ways to avoid injury and be smart and safe about the activities. That’s particularly relevant in the Fix a Car! book, which deals with the dangers of jacks and some of the chemicals contained under the hood. Both volumes have a ton of useful information. I was surprised at how much could be covered in just 128 pages.

Next up is Fix a Car! by Crogan's Adventures and The Creeps author and illustrator Chris Schweizer. A group of tweens and teens meet up when they join Car Club, overseen by auto whiz Ms. Gritt. Lena, Mason, and Abner are teens with their own wheels, and twin siblings Rocky and Esther are seventh graders who love cards and want to learn all they need to know so they can be ready when they are old enough to drive. They're different kids with different lives and circumstances, but the one thing they have in common is a love for automobiles, and Ms. Gritt is happy to show them all they need to know.

The story smoothly moves between each character's life outside of car club, building a relationship between characters and readers and giving kids background that they can relate to, from a stressed out teen determined to excel in all the things, to the kids working through grief over a parent. Car Club gives them all a landing place, a place to belong, and place to come together and get their hands dirty.

Fix a Car! is incredible in its detail: Ms. Gritt teaches her group how to check the oil and how often to check it; how to check the pressure in their tires, and how to change a tire; how to investigate a squeaky noise. Full-color diagrams introduce readers to the complex systems and inner workings of autos, and safety is paramount, with Ms. Gritt providing smart advice on how to be safe while changing a tire including how to locate a spare tire in your car and the difference between spare tires and donuts (not of the Dunkin' variety). There are instructions on 10 different parts of auto care, including creating a portable tool kit, changing the oil, replacing a drive belt or pulley, and washing and detailing a car (bonus: adding a racing stripe). There's a wealth of resources at the end of the book, including an author's note on how Chris Schweizer learned to take care of his car and some further reading.

Because of the hands-on subject matter, I'd definitely include Maker Comics in my middle school collections, but the reading level works for middle grade as well. With adult supervision, I'm all for teaching younger kids to bake and learn their way around a car, so I'd consider it for either collection in a public library - many of the middle schoolers in my library go between Juvenile and YA collections - and a solid choice for middle school libraries. Create a solid graphic novel nonfiction section, and the kids will love you for it.

This book would be great for a student interested in fixing and maintaining cars. I think this would go over better in a middle school or high school but even possibly for a die hard elementary car fanatic. I like that more and more nonfiction books are turning up in graphic style. These are great for reluctant readers.

This is the book I wish I had when I first got my driver's license and a car! I have purchased all of First Second's Science Comics for my library and intended to purchase the Maker Comics as well already, but I'm going to pass this on to our teen librarian, because this truly is the best introduction to cars books that I've ever seen. It's certainly not innappropriate for a younger audience, I simply think that teens who are learning to drive and want to know more about how to take care of their vehicle will get more from Fix a Car! than tweens might. Tweens that are super into cars will find it as long as you have it.