Marcus, obsessed with making comics, finds new ambitions for his superhero character Toothpick when he joins an after-school filmaking club. Always-working comedian Hart enters the children's-literature world with this middle-grade novel uplifting one of the profound life lessons that helped catapult him to global superstardom. It's certainly not a biography, but one can see the shades of reality, with a young Black boy who's short and funny making his way into film. Marcus' gift for storytelling is nurtured by his love of making comics (represented visually throughout by Cooper). Readers come to understand how these creative acts help process stress and grief via striking conversations between Marcus and his loving father that also show the critical importance of developing emotional language. After an inspiring first day of film class, Marcus declares that he will make the most awesome movie ever--but there's a gigantic difference between making comics and making a movie: You can't make a movie alone. He's going to have to work with peers who challenge him. Through Marcus' experiences, young readers will learn about the many different concepts, tools, and techniques that are part of the behind-the-camera filmmaking endeavor. Unfortunately, lumping Toni Morrison in with William Shakespeare as just another "dead author" is a distasteful moment in an otherwise enjoyable read. The book adheres to a Black default. A charming read that demystifies the work of making a movie and celebrates the gifts of authentic friendship. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

With expert coaching from Rodkey, film star and stand-up comedian Hart kicks off a middle-grade series featuring--not coincidentally, according to the introduction--a character with an artistic bent, anger issues, a single dad, and a sudden yen to make a movie. Young Marcus would rather just draw superhero comics, but being forced to sign up for film club because it's the only after-school activity left open, he quickly becomes a man on a mission. Some schooling in the virtues of teamwork and compromise--plus plenty of eye-opening lessons in casting, screenplay writing, and other requisite skills later--Toothpick Fights the Doom is a "MeTube" sensation. Cooper's scattered monochrome scenes alternate isolated pages of Marcus' melodramatic comics with views of the largely Black cast in theatrical poses. By the end, Marcus has begun to work his way out of the emotional rut he's been in since his mother's death, found in "gangly mean girl" Sierra a perceptive, if mouthy, collaborator for future projects, and given readers a glimpse of what working hard to make a dream a reality looks like.

All aspiring artist Marcus wants to do is work on his comics series, which features his daring alter ego, Toothpick. Unfortunately, the Afternoon Adventures art class his widower father enrolled him in proves a bad fit for his passion; with no better options, he reluctantly joins a filmmaking class. There, he meets aspiring social influencer Jazmin, music video creator Amari, and would-be writer/director Sierra. Dubious about the program and uninterested in crafting a film from Sierra's script, Marcus is slowly won over by the idea of filming Toothpick. Though he's initially intimidated by the amount of work involved in the cinematic creation process, from writing the screenplay to working within a realistic budget, accepting Sierra's tough-love advice helps him tackle each new obstacle in turn. In this exuberant middle grade debut, comedian Hart and coauthor Rodkey (We're Not from Here) navigate the complexities of filmmaking, skillfully channeling the craft through the misadventures of Marcus, whose inexperience with the medium and emotional connection to his material prove both creatively hindering and personally cathartic. With its solid comic timing and realistic sense of character and dialogue, this energetic love letter to the artistic process provides both practicality and encouragement. Cooper's b&w illustrations aptly capture the story's cued-Black cast. Ages 8--12. (June)