Wars in Toyland

Matthew’s older brother Alex has gone missing, and while the adults search, Matthew is coaxed into a toy box by his toy soldiers. There he finds a toy universe, complete with an evil monarch. The toys, led by the soldiers, urge him to help them take down the dictatorial teddy bear Roxbury and his evil Tediocracy. The third-person narrative is an odd choice for this book, as it really distances the reader from all of the characters. Additionally, the world-building isn’t sufficiently fleshed out. There’s some creativity in Harris’s ideas and inventiveness, and in Pollina’s execution of those ideas, but they don’t go far enough. The book pales in comparison to other “toy-based” stories. Pollina, perhaps best known for his work on Marvel’s X-Force, uses a nicely exaggerated style here that is particularly effective when it comes to his depiction of Capt. John and Brittany, toy soldiers whose long arms and legs cut awesome slashes across the pages and who definitely feel like they should have leading roles in the tale. (Reviewed from a b&w galley) (July)