Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Lake of Slime
Jarrett Lerner · 2026
80/100
👍 Worth It
Jarrett Lerner has a proven track record with reluctant and emerging readers, and this launch volume earns its starred Publishers Weekly review — the retro Pop Art visuals are genuinely distinctive, and the four-superhero team gives early readers a fun, energetic entry into the chapter-book world. It is silly by design, and that silliness is executed with skill. Watch the series track record develop, but the debut is a strong start.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety96
substance68
craft82
originality80
accuracy80
hype82
age-fit88
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict80
Cross-pollinate