Prose (Story): Young Robbie Reynolds is an up-and-coming mad scientist genius following in the footsteps of his mother, Doctor Mama, whose own career has stalled, so she holds down a day job. In her absence, Robbie has invented an automatista robot who, solo, operates a sophisticated lemonade stand in Robbie's front yard, where it can make any flavor of lemonade your heart desires - from bagels to boogers or anything in between - and do it in record time. It's a big hit, and both Robbie's pride and head swell to huge proportions ... until the new kid across the street (a girl, no less!) named Daphne opens up her own, old-fashioned lemonade stand in her own front yard. This sets Robbie off (to be fair, it takes very little to set Robbie off), and when it seems Daphne's cuteness and sincerity and positivity make her stand more popular than Robbie's, the young mad scientist proclaims her his first arch-nemesis and seeks to take her down fast.
Don's (Review): Love the artwork on this frenetic, over-the-top graphic novel, as well as the sharp contrast between Daphne's seemingly-endless sweetness, while Robbie is about as all-over-the-place as it gets (think "needs Ritalin") - and especially love Doctor Mama, who I wish we saw more of throughout the book. I can also see where kids would enjoy this battle-of-the-sexes lemonade competition, especially as hidden things we didn't know about are revealed as the story goes on. That said, for me the book really dragged in the middle, bogged down in Robbie's mayhem and ongoing scientific descriptions and lingo, not finally picking up again until toward the end, when some final (and unexpected) battles ensue. Not a bad book, just wish the middle didn't seem stretched out and over-long (for me, Robbie even got a little annoying and boring, during this time), because once we get to the climax (and more Doctor Mama), the book rocks all over again. 2.5/5 stars
NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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