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CollectionAges 9–12Graphic Novels

The Unpetables

A universe by Dennis Messner

Fast, silly diary-and-comics mayhem about two petting-zoo escapees turned freelance pets, catnip for reluctant readers who love Dog Man and Wimpy Kid.

  • Series

    1
  • Books

    3
  • Best for

    9–12
  • Status

    Ongoing

At a glance

Primary creator
Dennis Messner
First book
The Unpetables · 2023
Tone
Funny, Silly, Irreverent, Adventurous
Overall sensitivity
Low

The shape of it

The shape of this universe.

The Unpetables is Dennis Messner's fast, funny graphic-and-diary series about Pigmund the pig and Lizardo the iguana, two petting-zoo escapees who reinvent themselves as freelance pets with one unbreakable rule: NO MORE PETTING. Told in a giddy mix of paper-plate diary entries and black-and-white comics, with a joke on nearly every page and a retro comic-strip sensibility all its own, it has the keep-turning energy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Man and Timmy Failure. Beneath the gags is a genuinely warm story about friendship, freedom and deciding who you want to be, an irresistible hook for reluctant readers and comics fans alike.

Fast, silly diary-and-comics mayhem about two petting-zoo escapees turned freelance pets, catnip for reluctant readers who love Dog Man and Wimpy Kid.

Primary themes

Tone palette

  • Funny
  • Silly
  • Irreverent
  • Adventurous

The series

One way in.

Cultural footprint

A shelf of evidence.

Cultural ubiquity

2/ 5

A working classic for readers in the know.

Sensitivity

Low, and collection-wide.

LowCollection-wide

Across the collection

All 3 books.

About the creator

Dennis Messner.

Dennis Messner

Both

Dennis Messner: American author-illustrator of The Unpetables, a fast, silly diary-and-comics series about two runaway petting-zoo pals, built for reluctant readers aged 9 to 12.

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