Cardboard Summary

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel is a graphic children's novel that explores the possibilities of magic and the relationship between Cam and his father, Mike. Cam is the story's central character and the only child of Mike. The story opens when Cam's birthday is quickly approaching. Mike is still struggling to absorb the recent death of his wife. Mike is a carpenter, but currently, there is no job, which means he does not have enough money to buy his son a birthday present.

On his way home, Mike sees Gideon's roadside toyshop and inquires if he can get a cheap birthday present for his son. Mike only has $78, which he uses to buy cardboard. Gideon tells Mike that the cardboard can be anything Cam imagines for his birthday. However, Gideon tells Mike that he must follow all instructions while modifying the cardboard and return any unused pieces to the shop. When Mike arrives home, he gives the gift to Cam and asks him what he wants out of the cardboard. Cam tells his father he needs a boxer. Together, they build a boxer by strictly following Gideon's instructions.

Cam sleeps next to the boxer, and it magically comes to life at night. The boxer starts communicating with Cam, making him very excited. The boxer becomes the best birthday present Cam has ever received. In the morning, Mike is shocked to discover that the boxer is lively. Cam and his dad name the boxer, Bill, and make him part of the family. Bill is friendly, intelligent, and respectful. Soon, neighbors start becoming curious about Bill. One of the people jealous of Bill is Marcus. Marcus is a rich kid who hates Cam because he comes from a low-income family. Marcus has expensive toys, but he has never seen anything like Bill. Therefore, Marcus plots to steal Bill and take him away from Cum. Marcus wants to modify the cardboard into monsters.

After successfully stealing the cardboard, Marcus creates an army of monsters. The monsters are aggressive, and they start causing havoc in the village. Marcus tries to command the monsters, but they disobey his instructions. In a tragic turn of events, the monsters capture Marcus and Cam and take them to the cardboard kingdom, where they intend to kill them. The novel ends with Mike and Bill trying to rescue Cam and Marcus. Fortunately, Bill creates a nuclear device, which he uses to explode the cardboard. Fortunately, Mike and Bill rescue the boys without any injury.