March 1, 2013
Gr 4 Up-LEGO enthusiast Megs builds an Idea Lab for creating projects and, with its completion, travels by Transport-O-lux to see what others are inspired to make. On her journeys, she meets LEGO builders the world over, observing their creations and including them in her Building Journal, describing techniques and ideas that readers can adopt to make these creations their own. Formatted like a graphic novel, the book uses step-by-step photos of the models to make the author's observations easily adaptable for readers to re-create and enhance, provided that they can acquire the pieces needed-some seem a bit obscure. This, and the fact that some photos are unclear about the exact placement of certain pieces are the only downsides. Rothrock does an amazing job of bridging the real world with that of LEGOland. All of the characters are actual people and their names, professions, and nationalities are given along with links to Flickr pages displaying their creations. This broadens the book's scope giving it an international feel. Gender is transcended as well, as two of the contributors are women. In a satisfying finish, the last page contains each LEGO persona accompanied by photographs of the builders. Also of note is the fact that the contributors themselves sometimes admit to defeat, becoming frustrated and stumped by what they are trying to build; when one considers the impressive complexity of their work, this should serve as inspiration to readers who find themselves in a bind. This one certainly won't sit on shelves. A fun read for LEGO fans of all ages.-Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library
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