View source for Hilo: Saving the Whole Wide World (Hilo Book 2) by Judd Winick

{{infobox
|title=Hilo: Saving the Whole Wide World (Hilo Book 2)
|author=Judd Winick
|reviewer= Louise Jones
|genre=Confident Readers
|summary= Portals keep appearing all over town, making monsters appear everywhere. Hilo and his friends battle to send them back to where they belong.
|rating=5
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=208
|publisher=Puffin
|date=December 2016
|isbn=9780141376905
|website=http://www.juddspillowfort.com
|video=YaOlzq-mgrk
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141376902</amazonuk>
}}

Judd Winick certainly knows how to keep his readers in suspense. The first ''Hilo'' book ended on a massive cliffhanger and I've been eagerly awaiting the next instalment to find out what happens next. The first book was pure comic-book joy, with bright and bold artwork and an engaging fish-out-of water story about a boy with superpowers who fell to earth with no memory of his identity. In this sequel, Hilo returns and discovers that mysterious portals are opening up all over town, releasing all sorts of strange creatures from other dimensions. As the townsfolk run in panic from the invading monsters, it's the job of Hilo and his friends to send them back where they came from and seal the portals for good.

From the very beginning, the pace is fun, exciting and frantic, as our heroes are thrown headlong into a battle to round up all of the rogue monsters that are popping up all over town. Soon Hilo, DJ and Gina are fighting all manner of strange beings, including a giant alien chicken, Viking hippos and a horde of swiftly-replicating killer sprouts. They also have a new ally, in the form of a ninja cat sorceress called Pollandra Pack Wallace Brimdale Korimako, or ''Poppy'' for short.

The real appeal of the book is the theme of friendship that runs though its heart. DJ and Hilo have a special, deep bond and some of the scenes between the two pack a real emotional punch. There are many surprising revelations and plot twists during the story, especially when Hilo discovers more about his identity, and DJ becomes his anchor when he feels afraid. Later on in the book, a major event tests their friendship to the limits and also sets up the story for another perfect (but infuriating!) cliffhanger.

Although the book is in comic-format, which doesn't really lend itself to being read out loud, I had a lot of fun reading it with my son and trying to replicate all of the crazy sound effects, monster sounds and battle noises. Every time I got to the end of a chapter, he wanted to read more, so we ended up devouring the whole book in one sitting.

I'm hoping that the sequel comes out soon, because I'm in emotional anguish at not knowing what happens next! Hilo has me hooked and will appeal to comic-book fans of all ages who enjoy a zany, action packed story with a dash of something deeper.

If you haven’t read it already, we recommend the brilliant [[Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick|Hilo Book 1: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth]].

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