This was such a fun read! f you are a lover of Godzilla and graphic novels this is a must read! Whats better than finally making it to your dream art camp?!?!?!

Honestly this is every kaiju fan's dream, getting to be friends with Toho's iconic monsters. The setup of a summer camp being magically connected to Monster Island is fun and a hearty dose of nostalgia for the Showa series. It's nice to see disability representation in the form of multiple characters, not just one. The plot is intriguing and leads to a great climax and makes me hope for this to be a series. Bonus points to the illustrator for managing to make Manilla cute and not terribly ugly as he was in the old movies.

What a cute story about camp, misfits finding each other, acceptance and environmental justice. The illustrations are excellent and the style is fitting for a Godzilla tale. The characters are relatable even if the situation is more sci fi fantasy. I would recommend this book for any adult (or grown up) who loves art, Godzilla, and finding your friends.

Zelda is an aspiring cartoonist who goes to the summer camp she had been dreaming of and encounters kaju Minilla, and helps her fight the evil with a little help from her friends.
A highly enjoyable, action-packed and cute graphic novel.
4 stars for adults
5 stars for middle graders/teens.

Received as an ARC from Netgalley:

This was such a great time, very reminiscent of All Monsters Attack providing a great view of kids interacting with the world around them through the lens of Giant Monsters. This was a book both energetic and progressive, it would have been a favourite for me as a kid.

Up there with the best Godzilla comics, I hope there are more of these in the future.

This was such a wonderful graphic novel. The camp setting was so much fun and I really enjoyed both the characters and the plot. Mothra was my favourite - the design is so gorgeous. Would highly recommend this for a cute and quick read!

This was a really sweet, fun comic with stakes about environmentally destructive corporations and kids making friends (and art!). The way the story introduces Minilla and other kaiju was really great, and I loved the disabililty rep for the campers as well. I definitely recommend this one!

Godzilla? Summer Camp? Yes, please!! What a fun concept that is perfectly timed during this surge of love for the monster-verse. This is something I would love to see fully developed into a middle grade series!

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

Zelda has always wanted to attend summer camp like her friends - more specifically, art camp, where she can learn how create comics and maybe even network with people in the industry. After a year of pulling double shifts, her mom is able to save up enough money to send her ... unfortunately, no one told them that the camp they paid for was since acquired by More, Inc., and turned into a sports camp. (Seriously, though, this plot point made me blind with rage, because this is an especially shitty thing that I could totally see a corporation trying. That and the environmental devastation.)

Zelda decides to make the most of the situation, especially since her cabin mates Weezy and Rumiko seem cool. Weezy is also an artist who hoped to spend the summer with their kind, and Rumiko - well, she came for the sports, but she's also a bit nerdy and totally into cryptozoology. Which comes in extra handy when Zelda finds a magical portal hidden in some caverns that takes her to ... (drumroll please) ... MONSTER ISLAND! There she meets an adorably teeny tiny kaiju named Minilla who needs her help. Something's got the creatures on Monster Island riled up, and it's up to a certain group of meddling kids to set things right.

GODZILLA: MONSTER ISLAND SUMMER CAMP is a lot of fun, with engaging story telling, a diverse cast of characters, and some really gorgeous artwork. The "monsters" are absolutely breathtaking, as is their ethereal island home. I love that the plot centers environmental issues, to the point that Zelda and her friends are labeled "eco-terrorists" (it's giving 2006). I really hope that this is the first in a series, since corporations like More, Inc. are not about to let a resource like cryptids go un-exploited.

Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp is a graphic novel about Godzilla's son. My son is obsessed with Godzilla and could not wait to read this book. He loved the illustrations and the story line and thought it was a wonderful concept. Kid approved.

This is absolutely adorable. It’s a fun story and incorporates some of the favorite monsters in the Godzilla/Kaiju universe. I really love the artwork in this graphic novel and I enjoyed the story of being a good steward of the world. Shout out to NetGalley for the ARC. Definitely worth a read if the cover brings you joy like it brought me joy.

A cute middle grade addition to the world of Godzilla. We follow Zelda, an aspiring young artist, who comes to an arts summer camp only to find it’s been turned into a sports camp. Despite this, she quickly makes friends with her cabin mates. While exploring the area, she uncovers a portal that takes her to fantastical world of monsters where she meets Minilla, a baby kaiju.

I absolutely loved the graphics and color palette. I enjoyed seeing other monsters from the Godzilla universe. There were good conversations about environmentalism and friendship. There was casual disability representation. The story is absolutely zany, but I think its target audience will appreciate it. The only very minor criticism I have is that, for a graphic novel, there were a lot of words.

Overall, a very cute and fun addition to the Godzilla universe.

Zelda dreams of going to an art summer camp but when she finally gets there she finds out it's under new management and it's now a sports camp. Determined to salvage her summer, Zelda escapes to a secluded corner of the island and stumbles over a portal to a fantastic world of monsters. There she meets the baby kaiju Minilla and discovers that the monsters are being stirred up by some seismic force. With the help of her two new friends and Minilla, they set out to help the monsters.

This was an adorable graphic novel that is perfect for fans of kaiju and other monsters. Zelda and her friends' adventure around Monster Island to find the source of the disturbance was enjoyable and well drawn out. I love the friendships these kids formed along the way and how they just wanted to do art and save the environment and these monsters. It was a sweet story with a great message.

Overall, this was adorable and if you have a kid who likes monsters, I think this would be perfect for them. I kind of hope there will be more stories on Monster Island in the future.

This was such a fun adventure! Last year this summer camp was an art camp. Our main character thinks that is where she is going and when she shows up she unfortunately discovers it has been turned into a high tech sports camp. She has mobility issues so this is not her ideal place to be but soon meets two other campers who immediately have her back. One also wanted to go to art camp and the other said she would do all the sports the two didn't want to do. They created a great friendship. One day, our main character accidentally wanders onto another island through a portal - monster Island! There she meets Minilla, a mini Godzilla, who she can communicate with through a magical mobility device. From then on the adventures really hype up and this is a true blast with a lovely mixture of learning to be kind to your planet and others. I really enjoyed this one and will be telling everyone to read it!

This is probably one of my favorite graphic novels I’ve ever read. It had everything it had fun young hijinks, kaiju and my favorite found family.

It starts out with a main character Zelda thinks she is going to art camp but then ended up at Make it Summer Camp instead, so they are bummed. Good thing they have some cool roommates, Zelda goes out on her own roaming around camp and finds a small cave where she realizes it is a gateway to a kaiju world. She becomes best friends with baby Minilla. Minilla explains their world is becoming bad and bigger kaiju are missing and everyone is scared. Zelda recruits her roommates to help find out what is happening. Not to run the story but some fun kaiju hijinks ensue to help protect their world and stop what is happening in both worlds.

I love the illustrations. This made me love kaiju more than I already do. If you like any type of kaiju this is for you. I will be buying this for my library once it comes out. I know this is something I will re-read again and again.

Some books just feel like a breath of fresh air and Rosie Knight's "Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp" definitely fits the bill. The story captures everything Godzilla-fans love about Godzilla (ecoterrorism! fighting big corporations! camraderie!) within the soft and colorful art style of Oliver Ono. The whimsical vibe of the art added a touch of lightness to the usually dark-themed Godzilla, and the setting being a summer camp was the cherry on top.

The characters were vivid and exciting, I really loved how each of the 3 main characters were nods to monumental female comic artists who had made major contributions to the world of comics and graphic novels. Plus, it was so heartwarming to have Zelda, a character with a physical disability, kick ass to the extent of her ability and go on so many fun adventures.

Some of the dialogue felt like monologuing info dumps of why environmentalism/fracking is damaging and these moments dispenses the suspension of reality at times, but its definitely an important message for younger audiences to learn and understand so I didn't mind it too much!

All in all, "Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp" is a really fun and cute graphic novel with a great message for Godzilla fans of all ages, and Minilla is definitely the stand-out star of the story.

Thanks so much to IDW Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of Godzilla: Monster Island Summer Camp in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

I was thrilled when I saw this book as an option. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It's such a beautiful story in so many ways. I loved the messages and the friendships throughout. I hope to see more stories with these characters. The art style was gorgeous and the characters were so lovable. I will be recommending this to all my friends who like Pokemon, Godzilla, Scooby-Doo, or anyone who loves a story where people become friends and come together to do good things.

I don't have much to say about this one, it really was just fine. I did love that we have two disabled lead characters and their disabilities were actually a part of who they are as individuals. I thought the art was adorable and the overall premise was fun. This didn't wow me or really stand out, it's your typical "government baddies are trying to exploit monsters but the kids are going to save the day" graphic novel. Fine for what it is.

I really liked the book.
The main character is a force of nature, and the other characters who join her are the perfect complement.
I loved the whole atmosphere created that takes us into a mystical story full of adventure, in which we get to know another side, the monsters, both those we imagine as monsters and the humans as such.
The drawings are really beautiful, and the colors bring more strength and personality to the characters.
Really loved the book.

Thanks to NetGalley & IDW Publishing for the advanced e-copy.

Imagine being a kid trying to escape from a suspicious summer camp and finding a mysterious cave and the entrance to the land of monsters. Imagine finding a cute mini Godzilla, Minilla, and bonding with them and trying to save their home.
This is the adventure so many of us wanted as kids. Making friends and having adventures with Godzilla alongside us!

The plot is simple, Zelda is a little girl who loves comics and manga and wants to be a cartoonist. She goes to summer camp, but when she gets there she realises her precious art camp is no more, instead a high tech sport camp has taken its place. The counselors are mean and they act suspicious, but at least her cabin-mates are really nice. When Zelda is trying to skip sports activities she stumbles into a cave and meets Minilla, a really cute and tiny kaiju. With the help of a magical scepter, that acts perfectly as her mobility aid too, she can understand Minilla and realises what's happening in Monster Island.

I have to say, though there are antagonists in the story, everything moves forward pretty easily and every conflict is conveniently solved in a quick manner.

This is a really cute and lighthearted middle grade graphic novel. It's a fun adventure with pretty artwork where Kaijus are real, the power of friendship is truly the strongest bond and it has a pretty nice message about protecting the environment too.

I also have to say, I really loved that at the end of the volume there's a segment that highlights a few important women in the industry. These women are also who the main characters of this story are named after.