- Graphic Novels
- Ages 5–8
- Comedy
Pizza and Taco: Too Cool for School
Book 4 of 11 in Pizza and TacoView the full series
A school-themed entry about Pizza and Taco copying the cool new kid, B.L.T. It is very useful for children navigating social comparison, fitting in and classroom silliness.
- Best for5–8
- FormatGraphic
- Length72 pp
- Read aloud~34 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Comedic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Irreverent
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Pizza and Taco are ready for school, but everything changes when they meet B.L.T., the cool new kid. B.L.T. wears sunglasses, acts relaxed and seems to know exactly how to be impressive. Pizza and Taco quickly decide they should copy him, even if that means forgetting what makes them themselves. Their attempt to become cool soon causes trouble with their teacher, Mr Apple, and puts their friendship under pressure. Too Cool for School takes the series into a familiar early-years social situation: wanting to fit in, copying someone else and learning that being yourself is usually better than chasing coolness. The book keeps the format very accessible, with short chapters, simple jokes and expressive panels, making it a strong choice for new graphic-novel readers and school-age children.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 5–8
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 5–8
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Workable
Works well for
- Bedtime
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
4 / 5 · Bedtime-friendly
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- School story
- First graphic novel
- Reluctant readers
- Fitting in
- Funny food characters
Avoid if
- Wants dense prose
- Prefers realistic children
- Wants big adventure
Particularly good for children who are…
- Reluctant reader
- Making friends
- Struggling with reading
- Low self esteem
- Starting school
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A snappy, silly early comic series — a confidence-builder for new and reluctant readers.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific recognition is copying the cool kid — Pizza and Taco meeting B.L.T. in sunglasses, immediately trying to be like him, slowly losing what made them themselves. The early graphic novel for the back-to-school week.
- Friendship and belonging
- Trickery and cleverness
Why parents love it
The Pizza and Taco for the back-to-school slot — classroom setting, B.L.T. as the cool new kid, the social-comparison comedy played at the right register. Useful for any child currently trying to be someone else at school.
- Shared humour
- Quick to read
- Conversation starter
In the series
Pizza and Taco.
11 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Stephen Shaskan.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
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.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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