- Graphic Novels
- Ages 7–11
- Science Fiction
Hilo: The Great Big Boom
Book 3 of 11 in HiloView the full series
A portal-rescue adventure that gives Gina more heroic weight and expands the series beyond Earth. It is still packed with jokes, but the friendship stakes become more emotionally meaningful.
- Best for7–11
- FormatGraphic
- Length208 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr40 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Exciting
- Adventurous
- Silly
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Gina has been sucked into a mysterious portal, and D.J. and Hilo are not about to leave their friend lost in who-knows-where. Their rescue mission sends them into a strange new world full of danger, surprises, magic, bad guys, disgusting food, terrible knock-knock jokes and a magical warrior cat named Polly. The third Hilo book broadens the series' world and proves that Gina is much more than the sensible friend watching the chaos happen around her. The action remains bright, loud and funny, but the emotional engine is friendship: friends follow friends into danger, even when the danger is ridiculous. For readers who have enjoyed the first two books, this volume makes the series feel bigger and more adventurous without losing its accessibility. The panels stay clear, the humour stays immediate, and the story remains very friendly to visual readers.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 7–11
- Read aloud · 7–10
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Portal adventure
- Funny graphic novel
- Robot adventure
- Strong girl character
- Reluctant readers
Avoid if
- Has not read earlier hilo
- Wants realistic only
- Dislikes portal fantasy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Struggling with reading
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A funny, action-packed sci-fi comic series — a top reluctant-reader hook and classroom-library favourite.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is Gina lost — she's been pulled through a portal, and DJ and Hilo refuse to leave her in another dimension. The Hilo where the friendship stakes become emotional and Polly the magical warrior cat enters the series.
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
- Proving yourself
- Secret skill
- Secret world
Why parents love it
The Hilo where the friendship stakes get serious — Gina lost in another world, DJ and Hilo on a rescue mission, Polly introduced. Stronger emotional core than the first two; the series consolidates here. Best in sequence.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Hilo.
11 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Judd Winick.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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