"The Summer Camp Science Mysteries, a new line of educational graphic novels, features a multicultural group of summer campers who use science to explain various menacing phenomena. This first volume covers the case of a purported zombie that dwells in the fog-laden area surrounding the camp. Sure enough, it's just a matter of thinking straight, keeping a calm head, and applying knowledge of various subjects—matter, condensation, the periodic table of elements, code-breaking—before the real, harmless cause of the fog is uncovered. It is doubtful that even less attentive readers would miss that this is a science primer thinly disguised with a narrative. However, the frequent informational asides and suggested experiments (both in the story and in the addenda) should prove fun and fascinating for the curious. The art skillfully suggests enthusiasm through animated facial expressions, and its cartoon aesthetic imbues the story with a light touch." --Booklist

"Following cryptic clues left by a counselor, a quartet of young campers track down the source of mysterious noises in this science-laden series kickoff. The instruction begins before the story does, with a disquisition on the nature and states of matter, and continues after the denouement with a pair of experiments and a page of explanations. In between, 9-year-old twins Angie and Alex settle in at Camp Dakota, where they're treated to successive scientific demonstrations. These include: air pressure in action, with an overturned glass in a bowl of water; comparative density, with eggs in fresh and salt water; and heat-related expansion and contraction with a suspended weight. They're also treated to eerie nighttime moans ascribed to a local zombie that turn out to have a natural cause. Helmer places a multicultural cast with oversized, rolling-flashlight eyes in neatly drawn sequential panels—between which Beauregard occasionally shoehorns further science facts—and tries to crank up the suspense with lots of atmospheric fog and night scenes. The fictional plot is really just a vehicle, and if the science is largely extraneous and sometimes simplistic (gravity doesn't just pull objects 'toward Earth's surface'), at least there's plenty of it. The load-out continues in #2, The Nighttime Cabin Thief: A Mystery About Light, and two more Summer Camp Science Mysteries. Alas, nary a zombie in sight—but budding 'braaaiiinnns' may be tempted to repeat some of the experiments for themselves." --Kirkus Reviews