Lunch lady and the cyborg substitute

Funny graphic novels for the younger set. My 6 and 9 year old sons think these are hilarious. I find them a couple french fries short of a full lunch - that is, a little weak. But there is nothing objectionable in the content, so if you have a younger child who wants some graphic novels like the big kids, this would be a good intro to the genre.

Enjoy a lunch hour with the Lunch Lady. This is a quick read with a cafeteria worker that has access to James Bond inspired spy tools that works to help the students at the elementary school.

It has a few laughs but the best part was reading the back flap of the book and hearing how the author got the idea to create this series: as an adult he decided to take a trip to visit his elementary school and discovered that his old lunch lady was still working there. He became interested in her story and what else she did outside of her job at the school. What was she all about? This question lead to the creation of these graphic novels.

This question strikes home with me because as I get a little older I look at school workers in a completely different way than when I was a kid or teenager (or college student). They always seemed to live and breathe the schools they lived at (I mean worked at) and it would blow my mind if I ever saw one of them outside the school. There are few things more confusing than seeing a teacher at a festival or a janitor at the grocery store. You feel like telling them to get back to the school, where they belong. But as you age you realize they were actual people and their stories become a lot more interesting. Like Mrs. Fenska who was born and raised in my hometown, then lived in China for twenty years, then came back and taught the fifth grade until she retired. What made her want to come back to Haslett? Why did she become a school teacher? What were her hobbies outside of work? So many questions!

Lunch ladies are a particularly mysterious bunch, which is why this series is a good idea.