This was quite fun and well done. The Extincts are a 007 like team that are out to save the world. They get sent on a mission to find and save a Siberian Unicorn horn. Yes that is a real thing. That is one of the things that makes this books so much fun. While it is completely fictional, there are info bits and real life interests hidden in-between the story panels. Some topics covered are the unicorn, towns in Siberia, and the Batagaika Pit (which I had never heard of until now.) This book does a nice job of sneaking in the non-fiction bits that will interest a reader in more information, while also offering the standard back matter of info on instinct animals, experiments etc. My only complaint about the back matter is, the book lists ways to help save the world and one is to stop using disposable plastic water bottles, and on the next page has an experiment that uses a disposable full plastic water bottle, and a disposable plastic cup. I think in terms of what this book aims to accomplish, they need to change that out.

This book had a fun concept, but unfortunately it tried to do too much, and as a result it failed to do anything well. On the one hand, it tried to tell the story of this superhero team of extinct animals. On the other, it wanted to be educational. However, kids reading for the plot will get bogged down in the educational sections, while those looking for something educational will likely reach for nonfiction instead. There is a section in the back of the book to teach kids about the extinct animals found in the book, and I think it would have worked a lot better if most of the educational content had been here instead of spread throughout.

The plot itself also somehow managed to be both too busy and too boring. I finally got interested in a plotline near the end, but even that seemed to wrap up too easily. Some sections were confusing and I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. The characters also had very little personality. They consisted of being extinct animals and making bad puns based on their animal types (ex a “pigeonholed” pun by the pigeon, etc). It wasn’t funny and I couldn’t tell you anything else about the characters by the end of the story.

I was looking forward to this one since I thought it would be a fun read that kids would reach for and enjoy, but unfortunately it just didn’t hit the mark.

An action-packed adventure, following a team of genetically-enhanced extinct animals on a mission to save the planet (as well as to educate and empower the reader)!

This was a fun, and educational, start to a new lower middle grade graphic novel series. Any child interested in animals, science, history, and adventure will enjoy this book. The book is obviously not based in reality (talk extinct animals) but does provide factual information about extinct animals, global warming, and history. The art is nice, with lots of great action and details. I look forward to more adventures of The Extincts.

Story about extinct animals trying to save the environment and the world by finding a unicorn horn. The storyline was choppy and hard to follow. Too many mini-stories and characters that are not interesting. The story concept is too deep for elementary age students and this book would not check out at my school.