Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka

Krosoczka, J.(2009). Lunch lady and the cyborg substitute. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute by Jarrett Krosoczka is a graphic novel about an undercover lunch lady and her helpful sidekick protecting the world from evildoers! It’s a classic good versus evil tale. Hector, Terrence, and Dee have always wondered what the lunch lady does outside of school so they follow her not knowing that this would lead to an adventure of epic proportion complete with a cyborg substitute and a science teacher with an evil plan! They work together to fight the evildoers and finally defeat them...or do they?!

This graphic novel is fun, witty, and clever! I really enjoyed the gadgets created by Betty to fight crime. Also, the illustrations are thoughtfully created and add so much to the plot. Like many graphic novels, Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute, would be a great book for upper elementary reluctant or lower level readers. Using the pictures as support, struggling readers could still enjoy and understand this story that has themes and context appropriate for them. Additionally, it is a quick read and reluctant readers would be less likely to lose interest. I also think this book would appeal to male readers since it is written like a comic book.

I would use this book to boost fluency and expression. In small groups, students could practice reading aloud paying special attention to the characters’ emotions and expressions as they read. Again, the illustrations would provide visual support for readers as they read aloud. Further, since this book is the start of a series of books and this book ends with a cliffhanger, students could write predictions about what might happen in the following books.

(Image from amazon.com)