The season for graphic novels is upon us. Since the success of Narwhal and Jelly, there are a few new fun middle grade graphic novels coming to market by Canadian authors and illustrators. Super Detectives by Cale Atkinson is one of the new releases and it is hilarious!
If you loved his picture book Sir Simon, you will LOVE Super Detectives. We meet Simon the ghost and his human friend Chester deep in the midst of boredom. Luckily, Chester’s grandma used to work in theatre so there is a treasure trove of dress up clothes to help cure the boredom. Finding the perfect detective outfits, the two friends head out to find a case and solve it.
There is everything to love about this book. It’s silly, funny and really quite high brow. My one complaint with many graphic novels is they rely on very low brow humour to entice the audience and while I do enjoy a good bathroom joke and many readers do as well, it’s nice to have the option to enjoy something a little more sophisticated while still being hilarious. Super Detectives starts off right where Sir Simon left and all of the back and forth dialogue between the friends is preserved in this entertaining graphic novel. I would certainly recommend this book to any child from age 6 and up. Super Detectives will definitely be high on my gift giving list for the coming year.
