3.5 stars. This is a solid graphic novel for young readers that is silly and fun as Stanley navigates life flat as a pancake. Having not read the original book, I was intrigued when I saw the illustrated version pop up on NetGalley and was lucky to receive a digital ARC for review. My youngest kiddo would laugh at all the creative ways Stanley uses his flatness. Personally I just rolled my eyes, so I’d say this book is best meant for early elementary. Probably my biggest hangup is that this felt more fragmented and slapstick rather than containing any useful takeaways. The art and coloring are great.

A graphic novel adaptation of an absolute classic early chapter book! I grew up with Stanley and his escapades so this is very exciting for me and I think this breathes new life into Flat Stanley. The stories remain the same, but now in colour, kids of all ages can enjoy!

I LOVE FLAT STANLEY!! As a reader, it is so cool to me that we are able to make stories we know and love into a more in tune text for children now. I am a teacher, and I am excited to get this book into the classroom and start a new Flat Stanley project!

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Stanley Lambchop lives with his parents and younger brother Arthur in New York City. Life is uneventful until he wakes up one morning and has been flattened by a bulletin board that has fallen off the wall onto his bed. Since he doesn't seem to be in any distress, everyone has breakfast before taking him to the doctor. Again, nothing is wrong, so his mother's major concern is that all of Stanley's clothes will need to be altered! He has several adventures, like getting his mother's ring back from the sewer, being flown around the park like a kite, being used to help the policemen catch a sneak thief from stealing paintings, and being mailed in a large envelope (with a cheese sandwich!) to visit a friend in California. Eventually, he gets tired of being flat, and his brother manages to restore him to his normal girth by inserting a bicycle pump in his mouth until he is fully inflated.
Strengths: I was a little surprised to find that Flat Stanley was first published in 1964; the series had a resurgence of interest in the 1990s when my children were in elementary school, and I seem to remember at least one Flat Stanley project. Egbert's illustrations capture some of the feel of the original while updating some details; Stanley's friend in California is Black, the father seems to do all of the cooking, and the crowds in the city are more diverse. The text is a nice large size, and this will be a huge hit with elementary readers and even some struggling middle school ones. There are six books in the series written by Brown, and a later set of four I Can Read Books, so meeting Stanley will encourage readers to look for other books about this character.
Weaknesses: Since I'm a fan of anything vintage, redoing the illustrations always takes some of the original charm away for me, but readers who are vastly younger than some of my clothing are not going to care about vintage charm.
What I really think: If you can suspend disbelief long enough to believe that Stanley is flattened by a bulletin board and has no further problems, you'll enjoy this reimagining of Brown's classic tale. The goofiness will appeal to fans of Greenburg's The Zach Files, Trine's Melvin Beederman series, and the various permutations of Thaler's Black Lagoon books.

My children loved Flat Stanley when they were little, even making a paper Flat Stanley for their father to take along when he traveled for work. Now a new generation can enjoy the adventures of the Lambchop family. The artwork is lovely, clear, and engaging, while the plot stays true to the original story. I greatly enjoyed reading this edition and children definitely will too! I would love to see more Flat Stanley graphic novels.
*I received a complimentary copy of this e-book from the publisher through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was honestly so excited when I saw that Jeff Brown’s Flat Stanley was being adapted into a graphic novel. As an educator, I’ve long determined that every book for young students should have both a novel and graphic novel format—this accounts for the fact that some children truly do need that bridge of a novel that is mainly pictures with some more complex words than before in order to traverse the gap from lower level reading into reading chapter books. And what better way to have that bridge than for it to be presented with the same story, one that children have the opportunity to fall in love with in a format that’s more accessible to them so they’re now able to be more eagerly interested in now reading the original story.

Part of the reason for this is the fact that graphic novels, most often, use significantly easier language—Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, for example, is written with language that is very close to a 5th grade level; meanwhile, the language in graphic novel adaptation is quite literally coming in at the start of a 3rd grade level—and this is huge for kiddos who are struggling, but also for kids who just aren’t ready to read that cool book they’ve come across.

So, with that in mind, I was over the moon to see this. Flat Stanley is already a book that comes in about the 3rd grade level, making it perfect for early readers. Though the graphic novel doesn’t yet have a rating that I could find, I would say that it’s certainly a great bridge between 2nd and 3rd grade reading. I’m so exciting for this boy’s story to come out in graphic format because I can unquestionably see this book as incredibly useful not only for a great many of my students, but certainly for any kiddo who needs support in the development of their reading.

The artwork is very reminiscent of the original novel, fun and colorful and whimsical—loved every second of it.

A great graphic novel and a wonderful story. I enjoyed reading this retelling of the picture book and the twist of plotline at the end made for an unexpected but interesting ending. Recommend especially for children in elementary and middle school.
Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to review this book before its publication date.

First I would like to give a huge thank you to @netgalley and @harpercollins in allowing me the opportunity to to review this wonderful graphic novel.

My students love Flat Stanley so when I saw that there was going to be a graphic novel coming out I knew I needed to read it.
This graphic novel was everything I needed and more. It was an absolute adorable graphic novel full of many adventures that will capture the attention of any young reader.
I absolutely loved the Flat Stanley graphic novel and can’t wait to add it into my classroom library when it comes out.

Reading this graphic novel felt like being handed a childhood memory in full color. It’s strange, silly, and a little surreal — and that’s exactly what makes it so fun. Stanley’s adventures remain ridiculous in the best way: imaginative, episodic, and unpredictable.
There’s something charming about seeing Stanley slide under doors, get mailed across the country, or fly like a kite that feels more natural (and hilarious) in panels than in prose. The artwork is bold, colorful, and expressive, with just the right amount of humor baked into each panel.
Whether you’re revisiting Flat Stanley or meeting him for the first time, this adaptation makes the old story feel wonderfully new again.

This is such a fun new version of Flat Stanley, that I think kids are really going to love.
A great addition to any library collection.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Entertaining, light reading. The old Flat Stanley brought in to these times. Fun! Sends a good message about not judging others.

Last school year, my school put on The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley and did a modified One School, One Book with Flat Stanley. After that, you'd think I'd be Flat Stanley'd-out. But this graphic novel adaptation is so charming that I don't mind revisiting the story. Flat Stanley is such a weird little book, absolutely ridiculous. And I'm glad this adaptation doesn't try to take the story any too seriously. The illustrations and color are great. Will definitely be adding to my library where it will surely be a hit with my students.

Stanley is crushed by a bulletin board overnight and becomes flat. This means that he can do silly things like slip through grates and be sent via mail.

This is a graphic adaptation of the classic book. I highly recommend it for around 2nd grade.

I think this is a great update to a book that is in most collections. The graphics are bright and engaging. I am excited to add this to my elementary library.

Thank you to Harper Collins Children's' Books, Harper Alley, and Net Galley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

What does a normal boy do when he wakes up flat? Well, Flat Stanley takes advantage of it, letting people fly him like a kite and saving money on airfare by letting his family mail him to visit friends. This graphic novel is adorable and charming, and the pictures were so bright and happy and humorous. Making a Flat Stanley novel was such a terrific idea, and they did an amazing job of it!

This was such a fun graphic novel origin story of Flat Stanley! What a great way to reintroduce Flat Stanley to a whole new generation of kids. I enjoyed the humorous stories and adventures, and I'm sure readers will enjoy the graphic novel format.

I recommend this for schools and libraries and hope there are more Flat Stanley graphic novels!