Life Really Socks: Into the Sock-Verse

by Shidan Youssefian, Roshan Youssefian, Mahui Duque (Illustrator)

Overview

Have you ever lost a sock? It’s in the Sock—Verse! Get ready to embark on a series of toe—tally awesome adventures that follow a band of misfit socks as they journey through this new whimsical world.

Enter Freddy: a skater sock who gets caught in a dizzying spin—cycle and is magically transported into the vibrant Sock—Verse. Alone for the first time in his life, Freddy strikes up an unlikely friendship with Ruffles, a no—nonsense frilly sock, and Hanks, a warm and fuzzy knee—high. This trio of mismatched misfits embark on an epic quest in search of the gatekeeper of the Sock—Verse, an elusive being that knows the secrets to travel back to the Foot—side—a way back to Freddy’s sock—twin Peter!

But the journey won’t be easy. Our heroes will come toe—to—toe with a gang of dyed socks who are heel—bent on bringing order and monotonous conformity to the Sock—Verse. As the trio work together to overcome many challenges, they will forge an enduring friendship and discover how wonderfully wacky and diverse the Sock—Verse really is.

SpongeBob meets Adventure Time in this colorful, hilarious, and heartwarming graphic novel series for young readers that will make you see your socks in a new light.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781524885946
Publisher:	Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Series:	Life Really Socks , #1
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	GN290L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Shidan lives in Washington, DC, and is a creative storyteller with over a decade of experience redefining some of the world’s largest brands. Born and raised in Italy, he holds an MSc in media and communications from the London School of Economics. During the pandemic (a.k.a. the sockiest time ever) he decided to leave his brand consulting job and team up with his cousin Roshan to create Life Really Socks!
 

Roshan lives in Cali, Colombia, with his wife and two kids. Born and raised in Italy, he holds a BSc in sustainable development from Kingston University of London. He has worked on a range of large—scale renewable energy projects in Italy and in Colombia … but always had the creator’s itch! So when Shidan called him in the middle of a global pandemic to partner up on Life Really Socks, he didn’t hesitate to join in!
 

Mahui lives in Cali, Colombia. At age 5, he was already filling notebooks with doodles of weird dinosaurs and odd—looking creatures. He studied Visual Communication Design but decided early in his career to pursue his real passion: illustrating graphic novels. When Shidan and Roshan reached out to him about doing a series on talking lost socks, his inner child came out in full force!
 

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2024

Gr 1–3—Ever wonder what happens to your missing socks? They're not lost, they just get sucked into the Sock-Verse—a place filled with magic, wonder, and lots of sock puns. Most socks in Washingtown are content living here, but Freddy is eager to get back to the real world and be reunited with his pair sock-twin, with the help of some new friends he makes along the way. As the title suggests, the humor focuses on a lot of puns, some of which are fairly clever, like when the villain gives a monologue in the park on an actual soap box. But puns aside, this graphic novel embraces the fun and craziness of the concept and pairs it well with adventure and heartfelt moments. The artwork is bright and big, and the cartoon-heavy character design deftly matches the energy and humor of the overall piece. VERDICT A top-drawer recommendation, pun intended.—Peter Blenski

School Library Journal

2024-06-15
Where do socks go when they get lost in the wash? Open this graphic novel and find out.

Freddy may be stinky, but he loves life with his partner, Peter, on their active boy’s feet. But when he’s whirled through the spin cycle, he finds himself in a laundry-themed land of pairless peers called the “Sock-Verse”—specifically, in the city of “Washingtown.” If you think that’s a feeble pun, just wait for the “temple of loom,” “a feeling in my gusset,” “a needle in a hay sock,” and “lost soles.” While Freddy meets several amiable socks, he just wants to go home and reunite with Peter. His ensuing quest feels as though it’s been through the rinse/repeat cycle so many times that it’s lost its luster. The shapeless story wanders as Freddy deciphers symbols on an “ancient scroll” (a laundry tag) in order to find the wise gatekeeper, who may be able to help him return “foot-side.” Just when the narrative seems stretched to its limit, it meanders on, blending genres like a threadbare mixture of fibers. It’s a buddy story about “mismatched” friends, a search for a lost brother, and a satire about mystics vs. skeptics (which will go over readers’ heads). The cartoon art exploits every moment of action, adding plenty of onomatopoeia, but it’s not enough to save this one.

Will have readers hoping the protagonist puts a sock in it.(Graphic fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher