Thank you First Second Books and NetGalley for sharing this book with me in exchange for an honest review. Oh. My. Goodness. This book has everything we need in this world. Inclusivity. Diversity. Understanding. Team work. It focuses on celebrating and finding our worth. Ugh it is just beautiful. I highly recommend.

Although I’m late to the series, this book held up for me on its own. Engaging characters, a twisting plot, and exciting action make this a great read for fans of sci-fi adventures, Cece Bell’s award-winning “El Deafo”, and Jarrett J. Krosoczka‘s award-winning “Hey, Kiddo”.

Picture it: Aliens have invaded earth and decreed that anyone older than age 16, who falls under the aliens' view of "healthy and normal", will leave for another planet. Children, the elderly and those who didn't meet the aliens' qualifications are left to pick up the pieces of a now broken earth. Oh, and aliens have stayed on the planet with plans to control the remaining survivors.

Twins Sam and Wyatt were left behind, but were not left weakened. They fight back again the aliens in their owns ways. Sam shares food and resources with the people in her town. Wyatt uses his incredible divergent mind to strategize attacks. Until Sam gives herself up to protect Wyatt.

Now the twins are fighting on different planets. They remain strong and continue to support their fellow underdogs using all of their incredible talents. The fight isn't over, but they give all they can to prove the strength of humanity.

Last Pick: Born to Run by Jason Walz is the second graphic novel in the series. I enjoyed the first book, and somehow missed this volume when it was first released. I highly recommend reading them in order.

Four years ago, aliens kidnapped most of mankind, leaving behind those they deemed unworthy—the “last picked.” The future for Sam is bleak and unthinkable. A galaxy away from her twin brother, she is a pawn in the aliens’ bloody civil war. But with her new friend Mia, Sam has found a way to resist her captors and hold onto her humanity. Back on Earth, Sam’s twin, Wyatt, is leading a resistance of his own. With a ragtag army of the old, the young, and the disabled, he has a plan to bring the fight to his alien captors. But to defeat the aliens, Wyatt may need to befriend one.

Born to Run is a solid sequel. We get both the continuation of Sam's story in captivity on an alien planet, and Wyatt's fight to save his friends and Earth from the same captors. Each story mirrors the other, with self discoveries and small hints at what might come in the future. I think the balance between action and character growth was well done, and I liked getting to see how Sam, Wyatt, and the groups in each location dealt with the obstacles that they had to face. There was a good deal of social commentary, but those that have read the first book should be prepared for that, about being better than our oppressors and using brain over brawn and violence to keep moving forward. Of course there is also that no one is a throw away, everyone has intrinsic value and will surprise those that underestimate them. The artwork is wonderful, and it captures the action and heart of the story. The characters have personality, and frankly look so tired of having to keep fighting for survival and a better future for everyone. My biggest frustration is a common one in action based graphic novels, the cliff hanger. While many things are dealt with and the story has moved forward significantly, this volume ends with a whole new series of questions and problems to be dealt with.

Born to Run is a good continuation of the story. Readers that enjoyed the first volume of Last Pick will definitely want to pick this one up, and everything that comes after.

This is the second title in the "Last Pick" series. Another book is scheduled to be published later in the fall of 2020. Walz, the author and illustrator, has added a few more characters, more inclusive elements, and new relationships. The graphic novels need to be read in series order so readers can understand the complete story arc.


Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the ebook. I read the published version for this review. My ratings, opinions and reviews are my own.

I can see why this series is so popular; it's got aliens, action, adventure, engaging and diverse characters, and it's just plain fun! Cliff-hanger endings always get me and I can't wait to see where Last Pick goes from here!

Walz continues to show the magic of the genre with LAST PICK: BORN TO RUN. Siblings Wyatt and Sam have been separated by space by the evil aliens who have taken over Earth. Neither lets that get them down though! Both are determined to fight their way back to each other and hopefully save the planet at the same time! One of my favorite aspects of the LAST PICK series is Walz celebration of those who maybe are different than us and how we should never underestimate their worth. As an avid graphic novel and comic reader, Walz does something I've never seen before on page and I couldn't be more thrilled-- new character Harper uses sign language and Walz shows the actual hand movements in her speech bubbles. Seriously the coolest thing to see! I can't imagine how awesome it'll be to see that communication style represented for so many readers that will never have seen themselves represented that way before. I'm definitely looking forward to the final volume!

In last year's first volume of Last Pick, we encountered an earth under occupation by aliens who dragged anyone deemed "useful" away to an unknown fate, leaving the very young, very old, and disabled to endure the aliens' cruel rule on earth. Sam and Wyatt, twin siblings, were separated when Sam was taken; Wyatt, her special needs brother, was left behind, and has since gone to work embedding himself with a resistance group of survivors: the very young, the very old, the disabled, the angry, the fed-up. Operating under moniker "Bird One" they find ways to throw casual little wrenches into the aliens' day-to-day operations, and have something bigger in the works. Meanwhile, Sam is laboring offworld with the other imprisoned humans, forced into terrorizing other alien races in their overlords' quest to rule. The only bright spot in her days is Mia, a fellow prisoner, whom Sam finds herself developing feelings for.

Most of this installment's story works with Sam and his resistance group, including his own crush, a deaf girl named Harper, and a burgeoning alliance with one of the aliens. The aliens here are cruel, yet amusing because they're so influenced by American pop culture, particularly Westerns. (Interesting: Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, and Osama bin Laden all loved American Westerns. Coincidence?) The resistance is ragtag, but never count anyone out: it's the aliens' overconfidence and belief that the survivors are "useless" that leaves them ripe for a butt-kicking by Bird One. Jason Walz is a solid storyteller, continuing to build on the world(s) he created in the Last Pick's volume one. The storyline stays strong, developing characters introduced in the first book and bringing in new characters. There are unexpected alliances and underdog heroes, with something to appeal to everyone. 

Both volumes in the Last Pick trilogy have starred reviews from Kirkus. Sci-fi fans, dystopian fans, and adventure fans will love this story.

This second graphic novel of the Last Pick series starts out a year later for the characters. I really enjoyed the set up of the back and forth chapters between Sam who's in space and her brother Wyatt on earth resisting the aliens. It seems that more then one alien species including earth resisted or fought back against this government who despises anyone who weak, useless or disabled. I can't wait for the next book in the series.

I was going to try to reign in my absolute love for this book. To write about it in a calm and collected way, but to heck with that!

This blew my socks off! I LOVED the first one and was SO upset that the second one wasn't out already. When I saw this was coming out and available on NetGalley, I hit the "request" button so fast, I put my keyboard in jeopardy! And then I had to wait and see if I was approved or not. And I waited.

And waited.

And waited. (It didn't matter if the wait was only one minute or a year, it would have felt just as long to me. I was obsessed.)

But FINALLY I was approved, I downloaded the book, and LIFE HAPPENED. No time to read!!!

And then I said, screw life, this book needs to be read. Priorities in order, I did just that. And I was NOT disappointed. This book skips time a bit, so we are thrown into the middle of where the characters are now. It was easy to catch up, so not a complaint, just an observation.

The big question of "what the heck do the aliens want with humans in the first place" is explained, as is more of the sickness some of the aliens show signs of. The artwork is the same as the first book, excellent, and there is character growth as the situation has changed for both of the MCs. There is violence, though human death is implied to happen off panel and the only death shown is alien death. Though it is still sad and illustrates that killing isn't necessarily the answer. The best friend is a pacifist, which is a very brave stance to take and is shown to be more right than blind violence. Communication is key. I really like that message and am so glad that this is more than just an "evil aliens take over Earth and we need to kill them all in order to win our freedom back" storyline.

So, character growth, important themes told in an interesting way, good artwork and you have here a series that can't be beat! A word of warning, you do need to read the first one before this book so you have a full understanding of what is going on. I would say appropriate for middle readers. There is violence and a surprise kiss from one teen female character to another, but nothing gratuitous. This didn't bother me, but it could be something parents/guardians would be keen on their young ones reading.

5, heck yeah and when is the next one coming out, stars! Highly recommended!

My thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for an eARC copy of this to read and review.

Picking up where book 1 left off, Wyatt and the rest of the rejects, the disabled, the young, and the old who are left on Earth are working to overthrow the aliens after the invasion that took away all the older teens and middle age adults, the able-bodied, healthy, and “normal” people. They have a plan, but can they make it work? Meanwhile, Wyatt’s sister Sam was taken by the aliens after she turned sixteen. She is rebelling as best she can on the foreign planet she finds herself on where she is being told to fight one race of aliens by her kidnappers. They don’t look on rebellion kindly, and she and her bunkmates are being punished with harsher and harsher things for their resistance.

This book, just because it is the 2nd book of what looks to be a trilogy, suffers a little from middle book syndrome. It has been a year since I read the first book so it took me a little while to remember the characters and what had happened last time (and that isn’t really rehashed at all…which can be nice if you read book 1 recently, not complaining, just stating). It took me a little bit to get in the groove, remember the characters, then I got to hang out with them for a little bit, and then there’s not a whole lot of resolution at the end because that’s all being held for the last book. Again, that isn’t bad. Once all the books are out, it’ll be great. For now, though, this isn’t much of a read on its own. There are some interesting plot developments. It was fascinating to see where the Earth residents were being taken by the aliens, and there’s some distinction between alien races developing. Wyatt gets to shine here, and I like the amount of time his deaf friend Harper gets on page (as well as sign language). Those who like alien invasion stories and unlikely hero stories should enjoy this series.

Notes on content [based on ARC]: No language issues. One girl/girl kiss. No other sexual content. There’s some scifi violence, and deaths of humans and aliens are mentioned. The ones that happen on page either tactfully fade out or don’t show any gore.

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

Wyatt and his sister Sam are separated. Sam has been taken by the aliens, leaving Wyatt to continue as Bird One and face the resistance against the alien overlords. The odds are high, but it's time for the rejects to rise.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite graphic novel series.

I love the rejects—particularly Harper—and their determination to succeed against overwhelming odds. Wyatt has grown from shy and limited to someone who fights and leads, and Sam continues to fight—although she's learning from her new friend that their enemies might not actually be their real enemy.

I can't wait for book three!

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This sequel picks up with Wyatt and Sam separated. Wyatt and those left behind are planning to fight the aliens. Sam is in space with her friend Mia. As they overcome different obstacles, they both learn lessons along the way. There are even some burgeoning romances.
This series has a diverse cast of characters, and I love how Wyatt's disability is handled. It is refreshing to read about a character with a disability outside of the typical bullying storylines.
My only gripe is the pop-culture references. They didn't work for me. Some of them seemed forced, and many of the references were to things that were popular years before the target audience was born.
Overall, this was a thrilling read. I enjoyed this even more than the first installment. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

The people of earth are taken and enslaved by aliens. They must follow the aliens' orders, which include killing different aliens. The people work together to fight back against the aliens. This story contains action and humor. I like how the author includes diverse characters. My high school students would enjoy reading this book.

So good! Normally I'm not a big sci fi fan, but this series gripped me and wouldn't let me go. I have been waiting and waiting to read this sequel... unfortunately, there's a third one we have to wait for now. Still, this one was just as full of action and survival as the first. Lots of big stuff happens and we get some hints at what happened in the past, but there are a lot of unanswered questions. I LOVE how the author incorporated sign language into the story. Can't share more than that or it would be a spoiler, but the end made me tear up a little, not gonna lie.

Notes- autism/other disabilities, sign language, homosexuality

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC! The opinions in this review are my own.

I'm really loving this series. A fascinating take on the alien invasion/post-apocalyptic story that focuses on people with disabilities, often entirely forgotten in those kinds of narratives. The way it is specifically about people with disabilities being undervalued and underestimated is even better. The characters are all very engaging and realistic, they don't fall into any traps of tokenism or stereotypes.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and this one was even better. There was a lot of action and friendship, along with some violence. Definitely need to read the first book to understand and appreciate this one.

An exciting follow up to the first book in the Last Pick series, I think this book would be enjoyed by fans of Amulet or any fast paced sci-fi. I also appreciate the representation Walz has in his books of characters with disabilities. In that respect, fans of El Deafo who may not like the sci-fi aspect may enjoy this book as well.

If you have not read book one, this title can get a bit confusing. Trust me. I enjoyed it, and read it as a standalone. People are disappearing from earth and others have been enslaved by aliens. The two must both fight to see the continuance of the human race. A fun book, but I really need to read book one. I look forward to seeing the next book in the series.
#LitsyAtoZGn
#NancyDrewChallenge #Mooncover

I absolutely loved the first one, so I was very excited for this next installment, and I was not disappointed. If anything, I liked Born to Run even more! It was action-packed, and the relationships between the characters were great. Paired with the amazing illustrations, this was just an awesome read. Cannot wait for the next one!