The third book in the Last Pick series is finally here! Last Pick is a sci fi trilogy where Earth has been taken over by a cruel alien race; they've taken countless humans as slave labor across the universe, but the disabled; the elderly; the too young are left behind. These "last picked" have banded together to fight the alien menace, and Wyatt - a teen boy with autism - is at the head of the revolution. His sister, Sam, has been sent off into the stars, but she's been fomenting revolution, too, with her new girlfriend, Mia; an underground freedom radio broadcaster. In this final chapter of the trilogy, everything that's been put into motion over the last two books is coming together, and the aliens won't know what hit them. The artwork ad action explode off the page while the very human story of resistance, family, and burgeoning romance keep the reader turning pages. This is one of the best sci-fi series in recent years, with intense, smart portrayals of characters who are left behind and how take charge to save a planet. I recently took part in a graphic novels panel, Librarians Love Comics!, and one of my colleagues mentioned how much he liked this series, so don't just take my word for it. Last Pick is librarian-approved.

I really enjoyed this entire series. Hand to teens that enjoyed reading Cleopatra is Space, Star Scouts, or Spill Zone. Students who like action and adventure, with aliens, and a race to save the planet will enjoy the Last Pick series.

A few years ago, aliens arrived on Earth and took every able-bodied person between the ages of 16 and 65. In the previous book, Wyatt’s twin sister Sam was taken after they turned 16. Wyatt, who is on the autism spectrum, teamed up with the disabled, the elderly, and the young people who were left behind in order to go and rescue their loved ones who were taken from Earth. Meanwhile, there is a virus that is infecting the aliens and making them sick. Wyatt has to travel to another planet to rescue his sister and his parents.

This is a great conclusion to this series. Disability is an important theme to this series. People with disabilities were left behind on Earth, rather than being taken by the aliens to do work for them. The aliens misjudged the people with disabilities, as well as the young and older people, to be weaker than everyone else. Instead, these people used their unique skills to rise up and fight against the aliens.

The graphics were a little confusing during the fight scenes in this story. It may have just been in my advanced copy, but there were a lot of the same colours, such as greens and pinks, which made it difficult to differentiate between aliens and their spaceships. This slowed down my reading and made it a little confusing at times.

I highly recommend this middle grade graphic novel series.

Thank you First Second for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Things are a bit tense for Sam, Wyatt, and the rest of the kids and rejects trying to save the Earth from the alien invasion. Wyatt is trying to find vital information for the plan to save the Earth with Avida and the alien Jackie, while Sam and Mia are liberating alien prisons in an attempt to find Sam’s parents. The reject kids and humans still on Earth are trying to rally enough people to put up a resistance when Wyatt’s plan works (hopefully). It is all a long shot with how powerful the aliens are and how few resources the humans have effective against them.

This was a satisfactory conclusion to the series. It bends a little more to the realistic side than the feel good side of endings though. I have a feeling some will be upset by certain not so happy events. I like the way the series focuses on how the people that may have challenges physically or mentally are not to be discounted. They can still save the Earth. Recommended for alien abduction story fans who also like graphic novels and lots of diversity in characters.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: One minor swear. There’s a little peck of a kiss between a guy/girl couple and some hugging between a girl/girl couple. A kid also asks parents for more information about sexual relations at a future date. There’s several battles between aliens and humans (and aliens vs aliens) that does result in some fatalities (not shown, just implied with explosions, etc.) and injuries (very, very little blood shown). One alien threatens to dissect a human at one point.

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

Rise Up is the third (and final) book in the Last Pick series by Jason Walz. It is currently scheduled for release on October 6 2020. I do recommend reading this series in order. Wyatt is now the reluctant leader of the "last picked"—the disabled, the elderly, and those deemed too young to be useful for hard labor by their alien captors. But how can he and his ragtag allies take down an entire alien federation? Meanwhile, Wyatt's twin sister Sam and her girlfriend Mia are creating chaos all over the galaxy in an attempt to rescue Sam's parents. But even if the family is reunited, can they stay alive long enough to see the end of the alien regime?

Rise Up is a good continuation, and conclusion, to this story. Wyatt and Sam have their own crisis to resolve, and finally come together for the grand showdown. All the remaining major players are involved, and there is a great deal of hope and sacrifice on almost every page. There was a good deal of action and suspense, with some dark moments that left me worried that I would not enjoy the ending. The art style and skill in story telling was on par with the two previous installments, and the conclusion was satisfying with just about everything wrapped up. I am not sure if I was not ready for the story to wrap up that quickly, but I felt like there was so much that the story wanted to tell cramped in the last book. It worked, and it told the story well, but it felt like there was so much to keep track of at the end, who was where and what their role n the showdown was. I am sad to see this story end, and am very glad that I took the time to read it through to the end.

Rise Up is a solid conclusion to the series. Well resolved story with plenty of action, angst, and hope.

I LOVED this conclusion to the Last Pick trilogy. The artwork was just as good as the first two (though since this was an ARC, I didn't get all of the art, but that's ok, the words were still there and I was able to follow the storyline) and the characters were just as scrappy and determined. It might seem strange, but my favorite character was Jackie. I don't want to get too into his story arc, but it brought a tear to my eye.

The ending, was bittersweet. It fit, but darn if I didn't want the whole HEA!

I don't want to say more for fear of spoiling it for others. There is diversity, there is sadness, there is love. I highly recommend these three books. Middle grade to higher I would say, though I always advise adult review before passing onto the younger ones. My idea of appropriate and your idea of appropriate might differ. There is violence, off-page death and a "puppy love" straight and LGBTQ younger couple.

I absolutely loved each book and will definitely be recommending it in my store. 5, absolutely incredible, stars!

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

Jason Walz began the Last Pick series with a promise to deliver a powerful story. The artwork captured me right away, as did my identification with Walz as a teacher who wishes to advocate for representation and empowerment of students with diverse abilities. Walz was even kind enough at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic to stop by and conduct a virtual visit with my students.

In the second entry in the series, the action and engaging storyline continued and here we find the end of the trilogy. It is with some sadness that I approach the end of the story not because I was in any way disappointed with this conclusion (quite the opposite), but because I know this is the finish of this part of the story (unless Walz finds a way to continue the narrative).

I love the action, the detail in Walz's style, and the way he has taken us through Sam and Wyatt's story. This is a graphic novel that's woven together with entertainment and a well-placed message about the true power each of us carry as individuals and as a community. I can't wait to read more of Walz's work (in fact, I'm planning to revisit some of his earlier books next on my reading list).

Bravo for this book and the entire series. I can't wait for this book to land in the hands of young readers who are hungry for a science fiction adventure that packs an emotional and narrative punch.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of Last Pick: Rise Up. This is every bit as fast-paced and full of heart as previous volumes, and a satisfying end that fulfills the redemption arc of my favorite alien. I love way characters reclaim their disabilities and reject the deficit mentality that the wider social order has set them up for, and the cute touch of queer romance warms my heart. Hopeful without being cloying, this is an excellent choice for any middle school or middle grade collection.

Holy shit this was action-packed. A solid if tear-jerking ending.

Everything came full circle, and honestly I can't say much more than that without mega spoilers.

If you enjoyed the first two books, you'll like this one. It was a solid alien invasion adventure with a heaping dash of Independence Day thrown into the mix.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

A pitch perfect conclusion to this pitch perfect series. Earth's remaining citizens, considered outcasts, useless to the invading aliens, have their final stand. Thanks to the leadership of twins Wyatt and Sam, fighting from different planets, the underdog citizens find a way to fight back against the alien federation that holds the universe captive.

A great, if still sad, end to a fun YA graphic novel trilogy. Highly suggested for all teen graphic novel collections.

The end of the trilogy! I loved, loved how the disabled and the overlooked were the ones to save the day. I'm sad about some things that happened in the end of the series. But overall it was an excellent ending. I loved Wyatt and how everyone came together to save the world. I can't say more or I'll spoil it for you.

Note: This is the third book in the series and should be read as such. I did read this one without diving into the others first and was confused the first chapters. In other words, this book should not be read as a stand-alone.

Wyatt and his group of friends are determined to find a way to the hyperport but first need to get the map. Meanwhile, his twin sister, Sam, is out with her group in an attempt to rescue their parents from an alien prison. But even if the two of them fulfill their missions and meet up, they still need to find a way to stop the alien regime. That's not an easy task for anyone, let alone misfits like them.

I was looking forward to sinking myself into a science fiction graphic novel, and this one definitely had an interesting surmise. This book takes the most unexpected heroes and places them at the center of an action packed, space adventure. Not only are children, elderly, and anyone else deemed as 'incapable' now the last hope for humanity, but this book hits many other groups as well. The diversity of cultures is clear, but it doesn't even stop there. The alien friends are just as bullied as their human counterparts, and there's even some LBGTQ thrown into the mix, too.

The tale is a fun and quirky weave of action, tension, and humor. Each character holds their very own personality, and each one has an oddity or rough edge. Some are likable, while others are obviously evil. Still, the author tosses in a bit of snark and almost slap-stick like humor at times. It gives the entire story an unexpected twist, which guarantees to keep boredom away. But then, with the amount of danger and sticky situations these heroes run into, boredom isn't exactly something which pops in often, anyway.

The illustrations flow with a wonderful pace, keeping the plot interesting while still allowing needed character depth and enough emotion to keep the reader engaged. There were a few times when things seemed to slow down, but these moments picked up right away and lead to the next adventure.

There's a wonderful sense of family and friendship, which gives the tale heart. While this is sold as a novel for young adults, I can easily see older middle graders enjoying it quite a bit as well. I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from First Second Books. This is the 3rd and final book in the YA dystopian/sci-fi graphic novel series Last Pick. The interstellar war is in full upheaval and Wyatt and Sam are fighting to find their parents and save Earth and the world. I was pleasantly surprised by this whole series. The characters are unique, diverse and evolve well through the series. The aliens are funny, engaging and even sinister. There are strong relationships between characters that represent honesty of the self well. This easily swings middle grade. Illustrations are fab. A worthwhile series to pick-up and finish.

While this was my least favorite of the trilogy, I loved the trilingual a whole. This was by far the most action-packed of the story, but for me it was also the hardest to follow. I absolutely loved how everything came together though, and am so excited to share this series with the teens as my library

Despite not having read the first two books in this series, once I got into this story, it held me tight and didn't let go until the end.

The Last Pick are those who aren't worth taking, according to the aliens who have invaded earth to find labor for their labor camps. They are the disabled, the old, the young, those with mental or physical problems.

And of course, the heroes are those who were last picked, and left behind. Those who figure the secret that the aliens are keeping from their own people.

Good story, but go and read the other two first, or else you will feel as though you walked in on Act 3 of a three act play.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Rise Up is the third & final installment into the #lastpick world and releases on Oct. 6. Those who haven’t read the other two will need to in order to understand this #graphicnovel
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Wyatt, our hero, is now the leader of the “last picked”, which includes the disabled, elderly and those too young for hard labor. They must battle the alien federation so they can be free, but can they win?
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This #YA #book has it all: lots of action/adventure, sweet moments, family connection, #lgbtq, #autism & handicap-able representation to name a few. This whole #series is a hit in my #library. Can’t wait to add this to my collection! Thank you @netgalley for an ARC.

This is the third, and final, book is the Last Pick trilogy. This is geared toward upper middle grade and younger YA (11-14 y/o). You definitely need to read the first two books otherwise you will not understand to what is happening. Twins Sam and Wyatt are still waging their own individual wars against the aliens that invaded Earth and stole their parents. The main missions are to find their parents, and other humans that were kidnapped, as well as broadcast to the aliens that there is a vaccine for a horrible mutation disease. There is a lot of action, which is fun, as well as some sad and heartfelt moments. I think the way Wyatt is portrayed as a young teen on the spectrum is realistic. This trilogy is a fun, sci-fi adventure!