- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
Nina Peanut Is Amazing
Book 1 of 4 in Nina PeanutView the full series
A riotously funny full-colour comic-diary about a comics-mad girl chasing online fame. Nina makes very serious, very amazing videos that only her nan and best friend Brian ever watch, until her stinky cat accidentally goes viral and overnight stardom turns out to be more complicated than she dreamed.
- Best for7–10
- FormatIllustrated
- Length272 pp
- Read aloud~1 hr50 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Comedic
- Conversational
- Epistolary
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Irreverent
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Nina Peanut runs a very serious, very amazing video channel about the important things in life, like a potato with a human face. The trouble is, the only people who ever watch are her nan and her best friend Brian. What Nina really wants is to be as popular as class queen bee Megan Dunne, who films not-at-all-amazing content of her pampered dog, Princess Trixie Bell. Then Nina's stinky cat Les wanders into one of Megan's videos by accident and goes viral, and suddenly Nina is internet famous. But is overnight stardom as wonderful as Nina always dreamed? Sarah Bowie's hilarious debut is told in doodle-packed diary-and-comic style, bursting with warm, offbeat wit and gorgeous full-colour illustrations on every page. Underneath the jokes is a big-hearted story about friendship, chasing popularity, and the fakery of life online, perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Pitched at 7-10s reading independently, though the picture-packed pages make it easy for confident 6-year-olds and a natural shared read. The humour and short bursts of text suit reluctant readers especially, and the content stays light throughout.
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- Best fit · 7–10
- Read aloud · 6–9
- Independent · 7–11
Prose load
Light
Visual support
High
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
5 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Funny diary
- Reluctant readers
- Internet fame
- Comic style
Avoid if
- Wants gentle bedtime
- Prefers prose
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Nina is loud, confident and completely convinced she's a superstar in the making, and the whole thing is stuffed with doodles, comic panels and jokes on every page. When her smelly cat Les accidentally makes her famous, the wish-fulfilment and the chaos land in equal measure.
- Proving yourself
- Being special or chosen
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
A full-colour comic-diary that hoovers up reluctant readers, with a genuinely warm thread about friendship and the fakery of online popularity. The visual density carries children who bounce off dense prose, and it's very easy to hand over.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
In the series
Nina Peanut.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Sarah Bowie.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
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Books that share themes and topics with this one.
