Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: : entertaining detective with honest flaws.
Children’s book title: Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower.
Children’s author: Nathanael Lessore.
Children’s illustrator: Simran Diamond Singh.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Little Tiger.
ISBN: 9781788956642.
Recommended for children aged: 7-12 year-olds.
First published: Paperback March 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: mystery-loving readers who want to venture beyond traditional detective tales into the magical.
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Our review:
For reasons beyond 10-year-old Sara’s comprehension, every resident in her home town of Walsham has gained a bizarre superpower. And yet, amongst the levitating squirrels and multicoloured farts, Sara remains powerless!
When the school’s treasured football trophy – believed to be the source of these acquired superpowers – is stolen, Sara and her friends need to use their detective skills to find the thief. While digging up town secrets, chasing suspects and racing against time, a meaningful message is revealed: Sara doesn’t need powers to be courageous, kind and determined.
“And remember: the only TRUE powers are … a loving heart, a helping hand and the courage to do what’s right.”
Singh’s sketches complement Lessore’s witty themes of friendship, empathy and growth that emerge naturally throughout the plot, ultimately prompting readers to continuously giggle and wonder: will Sara figure out why she has no powers?
Our verdict:
This illustrated chapter book is a strong addition to classroom and library shelves, introducing concepts of prediction, inference, clues and suspects. In fact, it is the perfect time to read ahead of the next instalment, Time Travel Is NOT My Superpower, scheduled for publication this autumn.
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Many thanks to Little Tiger for the review copy.
@littletigerbooks What would your silly superpower be? 💥 Solving Crimes Is NOT My Superpower by Nathanael Lessore and Simran Diamond Singh is out now! #BooksforKids #ChildrensBooks #KidsBooks #NathanaelLessore #NotMySuperpower #childrensbooks #superheroes #LittleTiger
If you like Solving Crimes Is Not My Superpower by Nathanael Lessore, you might also like: Murder Most Unladylike by Robin Stevens, Anisha, Accidental Detective by Serena Patel and Emma McCann, Llama Out Loud by Annabelle Sami and Allen Fatimaharan and My Brother Is a Superhero by David Solomons.
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