By Thea Srinivasan

Sometimes, we get caught up in one perspective only to realize there is a lot more to consider beyond what we know. As a university student, this is the biggest challenge I have to face and I end up comparing this story to my own life. While I still have a stubborn head on my shoulders, the main character in this story ended up proving she can do a lot more once she opens her eyes.

Fix’ It is about a young girl named Eunice who lives in a village in a sandy desert. She and her friends have a passion for engineering and decide to build a big rocket. When the group takes the rocket to the outskirts of town to test it, the rocket crashes and the group assigns Eunice to get it. Unfortunately, an old man named Mr. Ravid takes the rocket and due to Mr. Ravid’s appearance, Eunice runs away in fear. Later on, the group decides to go to Mr. Ravid’s house to get the rocket. Eunice is assigned to sneak into his house and get the rocket but ends up getting caught by Mr. Ravid. From there on out, Mr. Ravid and Eunice begin a new friendship and along the way, they teach each other lessons about friendship, engineering, innovation, and self-discovery.

I love the slice-of-life feel I get from this story.  Most of my recent reviews have been focused on action, drama, and adventure. But this plot is something new because it involves a girl who is gifted in science, has a quirky sense of style and has a lifestyle that many people can relate to. Eunice is someone many girls can relate to because she faces challenges with peer pressure, crushes, ambitions, perceptions, etc. Eunice’s friends also have spunky, unique personalities. Although most of the story is about Eunice’s character development, it’s nice to see that her friends at least have some personality and play a big role in Eunice’s development. Normally I’d say that I wished for more character development from side characters, but the creator played a bold move to focus the attention on Mr. Ravid and Eunice.

Mr. Ravid… What can I say about this man? He is a reserved, old man who has a scary appearance who keeps to himself. But he also has a knack for engineering just like Eunice. While Eunice tends to toward one type of self-growth, Mr. Ravid’s personal growth is the complete opposite.  I can’t say the type of growth Mr. Ravid faces because it will spoil the story, but what I can say is that readers will have to watch Mr. Ravid carefully to understand how he grows as a person. He looks like a mean farmer, but he’s really just a quiet man.  When he speaks, his words give out the oddest sayings that Eunice needs to grow.

The art style is heavily influenced by Big Nate with its bright, cheerful colors and drawing style. I’ve used Big Nate as a comparison for my previous reviews. But this story is almost an exact twin to the Big Nate. There is nothing wrong with having such a similar art style, but the similarities are quite astonishing.

Overall, it’s a nice story that focuses on the friendship between two people with a common interest in engineering. Although their personalities are extremely different, their moments together help each other grow and learn more about themselves. This tale is for the person that wants a nice piece of cake without all of the frosting on it.

Score: 4/5

São Paulo's Ministry of Cultural Enrichment