Marcus Makes a Movie
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Stand-up comedian and Hollywood box-office hit Kevin Hart keeps the laughs coming in an illustrated middle-grade novel about a boy who has big dreams of making a blockbuster superhero film. Perfect for readers of James Patterson's Middle School series and Lincoln Peirce's Big Nate series.
Marcus is NOT happy to be stuck in after-school film class . . . until he realizes he can turn the story of the cartoon superhero he’s been drawing for years into an actual MOVIE! There’s just one problem: he has no idea what he’s doing. So he’ll need help, from his friends, his teachers, Sierra, the strong-willed classmate with creative dreams of her own, even Tyrell, the local bully who’d be a perfect movie villain if he weren’t too terrifying to talk to.
Making this movie won’t be easy. But as Marcus discovers, nothing great ever is—and if you want your dream to come true, you’ve got to put in the hustle to make it happen.
Comedy superstar Kevin Hart teams up with award-winning author Geoff Rodkey and lauded illustrator David Cooper for a hilarious, illustrated, and inspiring story about bringing your creative goals to life and never giving up, even when nothing’s going your way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
