Bandette: Stealers, Keepers!

Gr 7 Up—This volume picks up hot on the heels of the first "Bandette" collected volume, Presto! (Dark Horse, 2013), with master thieves Bandette and Monsieur in the middle of their contest to take back stolen treasures and expose the criminal organization FINIS, and its ruthless leader, Absinthe. Unknown to Bandette, Absinthe has unleashed his most feared assassin, Il Tredici (Italian for 13), to remove her from the picture permanently. It is a race to see if Bandette, Monsieur, and their team of stalwart allies can bring an end to FINIS before Bandette meets her demise at the hands of her unlucky 13. Bandette, the self-proclaimed greatest thief in the world, does not miss a beat. The protagonist remains as irreverent and joyful as ever. Writer Tobin and his wife, artist Coover, have created genuinely fun and well-developed characters, from the gruff Inspector Belgique to Bandette's band of allies led by the lovelorn Daniel. Each gets to shine in a series of short vignettes about the supporting characters at the book's conclusion. The art meshes with the feel of the story perfectly and adeptly contrasts the vibrancy of Bandette and her crew with the malevolence of Absinthe and Il Tredici. Interesting background material on some of the actual items that Bandette and Monsieur steal is also included in the back matter. The engaging narrative is perfectly in sync with the art, populated with fun and enjoyable characters and an especially strong and unique female lead.