I can't say as it would have occurred to me to retell Beowulf for a child audience but this book works surprisingly well. The author really captures the epic poetry sense. The language tends towards the grandiose, the emotions especially intense. This is well supported by the illustrations. Heroes lead with their chests, their expressions over the top. The villains are slinking and smug. Good fun.

This was great, and graphic novels are all the rage for our kids right now. Fun way to tell an old story.

This is a fun graphic retelling of Beowulf involving treehouses and crabby neighbors and kids standing up for the right to be kids.  I thoroughly enjoyed this story and my 3-5th graders will most certainly enjoy it as well.

I had a lot of fun reading this graphic novel. A group of kids have created a wonderful place, and for a while live there in harmony. When a dangerous individual comes knocking, they end up having the power to do something awful. Only one person may be able to stop them, and they fight an epic battle. As this story comes to a close, it sounds like this tale might not be over yet.

Bea Wolf is a cute, rhyming, kid-friendly reimagining of Beowulf. It's funny and illustrations are lively.

For me it was too dark.  This is great fir adult, I would not give it to my child, just because language is more dark and free than what I would like my kids to read. Charcters were very diverse and is greatfor anyone who likes Manga graphic.

I was originally skeptical of whether the Beowulf tale could really be translated into something that would appeal to elementary and middle school readers. But this works -- and it works really well. The illustrations, the color palette, the amount of text... It all brings to life the adventure of the original tale but in a format and story that will relate to today's kids. I don't think they will even realize they are reading a retelling, though an adult will recognize the themes and plot. Highly recommend.

A re-imaging of the epic poem Beowulf as a kingdom in the middle of suburbia of unruly children who hold sway over a dream treehouse overflowing with sugar, toys innumerable, and dubious fun, and the middle-aged man who lives next door who can change the kids to mind-numbed teenagers or boring middle-aged adults with the touch of a finger and loves to raid the treehouse hall and bring cleanliness and order to the sugar-stained walls. The battle is not looking good for the remaining children until the warrior girl from down the river arrives to free the remaining youngsters from this horror-bringing, tie-wearing menace.

First off, I have to say this was brilliant. The writing was reimagined in such a way that honors a lot of the original elements (see the author’s note in the back to fully understand) and adapts the original into a story modern readers can more easily grasp. The illustrations are also stunning, and I can’t imagine how much time they took. That said, I don’t think this is something the average middle grade reader will be able to pick up and understand. The text is written in a unique rhythm. For example, “Comets we shot! Shedding glitter on the shadow-dark mere! Sea craters gaped, waves flew, lake-foam flashed in starfire!” are two lines from p. 118, and there’s lots more like it. It honors the original poetry, but it’ll take work for modern readers to follow. There’s also the super high vocabulary woven in throughout, words like wended, hove, becalmed, prattle, and thanes are used and there isn’t a glossary...so the average tween or teen reader will likely need a dictionary on hand and if they are anything like middle graders I know they are more likely to put this down than continue to consult the dictionary to work through the read. So is it a failure? Well, my first inclination reading this was that it would be an amazing pick for a high school Brit Lit or college teacher who is trying to lead young adults through the slog that is Beowulf for modern readers. Give them this first (and then maybe Gareth Hinds’ graphic novel 2nd), and then all of a sudden they have something to relate the story to, and bam, it’s all so clear what the original author was trying to say (or at least loads clearer than it was). Teen and adult readers are much more likely to appreciate the artistry that went into writing this book than any middle grade reader, and they are more likely to have heard some of the tougher vocabulary before, so I’d put this on the YA shelves.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]: No language issues. No sexual content. There are a couple illustrations of some kids and 1 adult in underwear (it’s one child king’s standard outfit with a cape). The battles are adapted to dodgeball and avoiding a poking finger and stealing a tie.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've seen movie adaptations of the Beowulf story, and read the epic for literature courses, but this graphic novel retelling is a total romp. There is the treehouse feasting hall, the terrible Grinchy neighbor with his spidery looking arms and legs who is out to destroy all fun, and Bea Wolf herself - ready to kick butt and take names. The jubilant antics of the children eating sugary snacks, darkening the sky with innumerable Nerf darts, and swapping comics make for excellent reading. But the evil fate which can befall these heroes - to be sucked dry of all joy and turned into an adult focused on the trouble with Congress or bank appointments - is almost too terrible to mention. The original Grindle may have eaten people's heads, but at least he didn't make them suffer through stock market reports!

Illustrations capture the action with plenty of detail and make the change from happy treehouse warriors to loathsome adults glued to their cell phones terribly tragic. The expressive eyes of the children contrast sharply with the blank gaze of Grindle's eyeglasses and their motley gear of pajamas, Halloween costumes, and Underoos make his dull business suit seem even more drab by comparison. 
 
The afterword explains the history of the original Beowulf story and how it has been passed down over the centuries to us. It also discusses the original poetic form of the epic and how some of those tricks have been used in this version. Specifically the use of alliteration (such as "fighters of fun-killers, fearing nothing, fated for fame") and kennings (like calling Grindle "hall-wrecker") appear throughout the book, giving it the feel of an epic poem being recited. 

Besides offering a delightful reading experience, this would make a great mentor text for a lesson on using alliteration or figurative language. Imagine the kennings today's young bards could produce. The author mentions that his daughter came up with "diaper-stinker" to describe her little brother.

Very cute middle-grade friendly adaptation of Beowulf. Illustrations are well done and support the story very nicely, however the language used might be confusing for some young readers, especially those not familiar with the source material. Definitely enjoyable for grown-ups and some children.

This book is just begging to be read aloud.

Retaining the kennings and alliterative meter of the original, but in kid-appealing themes and language, this retelling of Beowulf has strong momentum that carries its reader on an epic adventure through its pages. Paired with engaging, just-as-energetic illustrations, Bea Wolf is sure to be a repeat read.

(For those interested in the history and context of Beowulf, the author essay at the end was a delight to read as well.)

I ADORED this graphic retelling of the epic poem Beowulf! Considering that the story is about a bunch of troublemaking kids and the evil adult who wants to ruin their fun, this retelling of the epic poem of Beowulf is scary accurate - and insanely funny.

The story is written in epic poetry format, mimicking Beowulf, and uses its detailed artwork to help bring understanding to some of the more confusing phrases and vernacular. The style that Grindel is drawn in calls back to the original Grindel and his exaggerated features. Absolutely wonderful artwork.

I loved how it told the tales of heroes past & future - Tanya, Treat Taker, Terror of Halloween and Lulu, Labyrinth-Lord, Lost in a Cornmaze are just 2 of my favorites. All of the kids descriptions and depictions were amazing.

I will be recommending this to students but I will also be recommending it to my teachers as a companion or possibly alternative read to the original. It’s one that shows the craft and hooks the reader and I think today’s students would not just enjoy it, they would learn from it.

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This unique graphic novel is a conundrum. There are definitely some middle school readers who will enjoy this wordy, dark, and witty book. The art  is so engaging and enhances the story as happens in excellent graphic novels. Will the writing style appeal? I will definitely purchase this for my middle school library and look forward to the students’ reactions. We have a large, enthusiastic population of graphic novel readers. I will certainly be asking for their feedback. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This tale, loosely based on the tale of Beowolf, "Bea Wolf" is an adventure tale of children versus adults, fun versus boring.  With richly detailed black and white illustrations, this epic saga tells the stories of the larger than life child warriors, the evaders of rules, the champions of mischief.  The children rule their kingdom alone, against all fun-ruining adults, until their ultimate foe, Mr. Grindle, comes to take them all down.  
A fun satire, this book is better for older readers and adults, mainly due to the 'olde English' - like text that may be difficult for kids to understand.

A group of kids have laid claim to a tree house fort and are having a great time in it until the gloom of the town decided they must go and did everything he had to do to make that happen and just when it looked like all was lost in comes Bea.
This was an interesting book not at all what I expected.  But fun all the same.  I love seeing how this group of kids thought about their world, it puts thing into a whole new perspective.  It is a fun book

Beautifully done, and a great introduction to a classic tale that many folks do not encounter until high school or college.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Publishing for access to a digital copy of Bea Wolf by Zach Weinersmith in exchange for an honest review. 

CW: violence, see full list on StoryGraph

This book was just not for me. Granted, I was not the intended audience of this book, as it is a middle grade retelling of Beowulf. 

The illustrations were not to my taste. These were the type of line drawings that indicate too much intensity and make me uncomfortable. I also had a hard time following the plot line and the language used, so I cannot imagine that a middle-grade-aged reader would be able to follow this story well either. 

This is a creative concept, but I didn't feel like it was well executed.

This graphic novel takes the idea of the classic Beowulf and turns it on its head. It’s children who like to play and be loud going up against the grouchy neighbor man, Mr. Grendel. What makes this book unique is that it keeps the vocalization of the classic epic. It’s very’ very’ very wordy. The words trip all over themselves. On reading it feels like a troubadour of old, trying to get the audience’s attention. Think of it like Geoffrey Chaucer in the movie, a Knights Tale (played by Paul Bettany), and how he would introduce Heath Ledger. That is the wording format of this book from page one to page end. Tt makes this book a tad hard to read and gives the reader a bit of a headache. But at the same time, it has a Monty Python and the Holy Grail feel if one can just get to the end of the story. Overall, I like this book, but I didn’t love it. I love the cover. The artwork is great, but I wish it was in full color. I could see this maybe winning awards but what I don’t see is it being read frequently by kids.

In this middle grade retelling of Beowulf, a gang of troublemaking kids must defend their treehouse fort, Treeheart, from a boring, fun-hating adult, Grindle who can turn the kids into boring teens and adults with just a touch of his finger.

Just going to start this off with the claim that I don’t believe I ever read Beowulf - there may have been a time in high school when I should have read it when we were in the unit of classics, but I tended to fight against being told what to read at that time.

I wanted to read this one graphic novel because of the cover - I immediately fell in love with the little girl on the cover. The illustrations were gorgeous and beautiful to look at and that’s what kept my attention the most.

Since this was a retelling, Zach Weinersmith used the formatting and style methods from the original Beowulf, which they talk about at the end in a note (which I was laughing at their call out to being either a librarian or a future writer as to why exactly you were reading a super long note written by the author in the first place)

This will be a different reading style for Middle Grade readers, but I believe once they get started on reading it, they will get the rhythm of it and they’ll fly through it in no time with giggles erupting with every page.

Bea Wolf is fun for everyone, all ages will be laughing at the shenanigans of the kids from Treeheart and their allies.

Thanks to NetGalley & First Second for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't say I was a huge fan of this one. The art style is befitting the dark, yet humorous story. 

To be honest, I can't see kids enjoying this. The art style they'd like, but the writing would remind them too much of school, ha. Grades 6-8 might enjoy it but not sure.