Julius Zebra

October 15, 2017
At the behest of Emperor Hadrian, the striped gladiator and his animal cohorts sail off to strut their stuff in Britannia. Kidnapped from Africa in the previous episode and forced to fight in the Colosseum, Julius and his fellow captives have triumphed--but instead of the promised emancipation or even a vacation, they are packed off to misty, moisty Londinium to face local challengers in a Britons Got Talent competition. Intended to quell an unruly populace, the display of Roman might goes badly agley when the locals turn out to be tougher than expected. Along with comically violent, if consistently nonfatal, fights and many episodes of slogging through muck of one sort or another, Northfield adds line drawings of frantically gesticulating human and anthropomorphic animals to every page of the slapstick plot. He also supplies period flavor by numbering the pages in Roman numerals (adding instructions for adding and subtracting the same at the end) and slipping in Latin terms and historical detail. Finally the penny drops, and, realizing that all the gladiators are actually on the same side, Julius daubs himself with woad in solidarity and joins a rebel army that sends the Roman invaders packing. Those treacherous Romans are ripe for a fall...and Julius is just the zebra to give them a push. (appendix) (Historical farce. 10-12)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 15, 2017
Grades 3-5 Julius Zebra, unlikely People's Champion of Rome, is enjoying the fame of his gladiatorial position, giving out hoofprints to fans and admiring Julius swag at the marketplace. Despite his newfound celebrity, he's looking forward to his upcoming battle before Emperor Hadrian, who has promised to grant the zebra and his friends their freedom if Julius wins. Instead, Hadrian sends Julius and company to Britannia to face off against the locals' prized fighters. Thinking that they are going on vacation, the animals board a boat, but it gradually becomes clear this is no pleasure cruise. A hysterical mix of misunderstandings, absurd escape plans, and disastrous training regimens unfolds as the animal gladiators size up the competition and realize the fierce Britons aren't actually their enemy. It's the Romans who are the problem! Northfield's cartoonlike line illustrations win the day in this second Julius Zebra entry, capturing the story's comical heart. Kids will be enamored by its ridiculous, action-oriented plot, and unwitting spectators to the bits of history Northfield manages to sneak in between the gags.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 18, 2016
In this cracked “careful what you wish for” tale, first in the Julius Zebra series, a dim-witted talking zebra inadvertently trades an unhappy existence in the African plains to train in the art of gladiatorial combat. Disgusted by the lake where all the animals bathe, drink, and poop, Julius wanders off, only to be kidnapped by centurions and shipped off to Rome with other wild beasts destined to become fodder for the Colosseum’s gladiators. Northfield, creator of the Derek the Sheep comic strip, introduces some ancient history along the way (the page numbers are written in Roman numerals, a glossary defines several English and Latin terms, and fellow captive Cornelius the warthog sums up the Romans by saying, “Basically, they want to take over lots of other strange lands—mainly by beating everyone up!”), but the screwball comedy is what will pull readers in. Julius is slightly daft, but he can be cocky, too: if Greg Heffley were a zebra, this might be his diary, complete with scratchy cartoon illustrations of the goings-on as Julius and his friends attempt to outwit death. Ages 7–10.

January 1, 2019
Zebra Julius and his animal friends (Rumble with the Romans!) continue their gladiatorial adventures, this time being sent to Londinium to fight Celtic gladiators while trying to escape from their Roman captors. The protagonists are still awkward, gangly, and mostly clueless, but the silly story's irreverent humor and goofy, black-and-white cartoon illustrations on every page should entertain readers.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)