Synopses & Reviews
From the pages of the New York Times and the pen of Printz Award winner Gene Luen Yang comes a tale of math, aliens, and new siblings.
Thaddeus doesnt like his new sister (shes not that smart— and she gets all the attention). He likes her even less when he discovers that shes an inter-dimensional conduit for peace-loving aliens (who are totally lame—all they want to do is knit socks for the homeless and have sing-a-longs!). But whats even worse is that no one will believe him about any of this! How is he ever going manage to grow up to become the President of Earth?
First serialized in the New York Times Magazine, Prime Baby is a laugh-out-loud look at sibling rivalry.
Review
Starred Review in 3/15 Booklist
Eight-year-old Thaddeus Fong is insanely jealous of his baby sister and exploits his intelligence as a weapon against his social insecurities. Politics ranging from those of the family to those of state are explored and sent up as Yang unfolds a rich and spirited story that lays bare psychological and social truths, a parable in which ever-forgiving space aliens play a major role in advancing not just the plot but also character development. Using the flat, cartoon style of his award-winning American Born Chinese (2006), Yang pulls us in from the first page and packs in several surprises as well as clever asides within its 55, multi-paneled, single-strip pages, allowing plenty of white space to force readers to note the finest details of the action in counterpoint to Thaddeus attempts to interpret every interaction as a personal slight. The color palette employed is soft, subtly contradicting Thaddeus emphatic evil-versus-good outlook with its relative gentleness. Sf readers who value humor and humanity (not just slam-bang action), Christians, newcomers to graphic novels, and fans of Yangs simultaneously childlike and sophisticated ability to create and maintain tension should all be satisfied by his new book. —Francisca Goldsmith
About the Author
Gene Luen Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade. In 1997, he received the Xeric Grant, a prestigious comics industry grant, for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, his first comics work. He has since written and drawn a number of titles, including Duncans Kingdom (with art by Derek Kirk Kim), The Rosary Comic Book, and Animal Crackers. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. He also won an Eisner for The Eternal Smile, a collaboration with Derek Kirk Kim. Yang lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he teaches high school.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
1. Thaddeus K. Fong was clearly a remarkable child, and he has grown up to be an even more remarkable adult. Do remarkable adults always have a remarkable childhood? Use at least three specific examples to illustrate your argument.
2. Thaddeus is shocked to find that something he learns in school is useful in real life. What things have you learned in school that are useful in real life? Bonus points are awarded to those who compose their response as a powerpoint and present it at the next meeting of the town school board.
3. The aliens actions in arriving on earth - giving away socks and lunches for free, openly advocating and developing photosynthetic power as a replacement for gasoline - are a clear strike against the United States capitalist culture of 2011. Create a timeline of the fall of capitalism, beginning with the aliens arrival and ending with the global adoption of the gifts-based economico-cultural system in 2035.
4. Is your sister an alien portal to another dimension? How about your brother? Either of your parents? Grandparents? How can you be sure?
5. Think about what you know about President Fong. Can you see how his ideals grew out of his experiences as a child? Name three things that happened to Thaddeus K. Fong in this book that influenced him as an adult and leader of this world. Be sure to clearly explain the connection between his experiences as a child and as an adult.
6. The arrival of the aliens was the beginning of the custom of the daily global sing-along. Who had sing-alongs prior to 2011? How has their purpose changed?
7. Thaddeus K. Fong became the President of Earth in the year 2041. How has the world changed between then and 2011, when this book took place? Compose your answer as a five-paragraph essay. Remember to touch on the following essential subjects: aliens, hydroelectricity, the atomic composition of table salt, medieval knitting patterns, the fourteen punctuation marks in the English Language, Malaysia, and the color orange.