- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 7–10
- Comedy
Nina Peanut: Mega Mystery Solver
Book 2 of 4 in Nina PeanutView the full series
Nina turns her creative genius to ghost-hunting and detective work in this second full-colour comic-diary adventure, investigating a ghost stuck in an old shoe at school while running to be class captain against her frenemy Megan.
- 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 is back, and this time she's a mega mystery solver. Nina and her best friends Brian and Ovaltina are now sort-of-friends with the awful Megan Dunne, which mostly seems to mean doing whatever Megan says. Things get complicated when Nina decides to stand for class captain against Megan, who makes it very clear she'll do whatever it takes to win. Meanwhile there's a proper mystery to crack: the ghost of a woman called Lady Deborah, escaped from a history lesson, is haunting the school, stuck inside her own shoe. Nina and Brian film their investigations to work out what she wants and how to set her free. Told in Sarah Bowie's trademark doodle-packed diary-and-comic style, packed with verbal and visual jokes and gorgeous full-colour art on every page, this is a riotously funny follow-up brimming with big dreams, brilliant pets and best-friend drama.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
Aimed at 7-10s reading independently, with picture-packed pages that support confident 6-year-olds and shared reading. The ghost is comic rather than frightening, so it stays comfortable for sensitive readers while giving fans of the first book a proper mystery.
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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
- Gentle ghost story
- Comic style
Avoid if
- Wants gentle bedtime
- Prefers prose
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Reluctant reader
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Nina reinvents herself as a mega mystery solver, hunting a ghost trapped in a shoe while battling the awful Megan for class captain. It's silly, doodle-stuffed and full of the visual gags that make every page feel like a comic, with a proper mystery to crack.
- Being a detective
- Proving yourself
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
A reluctant-reader magnet in full colour, with a gentle ghost mystery that's more silly than scary and a relatable strand about frenemies and school elections. The comic-diary layout keeps momentum for children who struggle with solid pages of text.
- 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.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
