- Comedy
- Pizazz collection
- Ages 6–9
Pizazz
Part of the collectionPizazz→Six warm, cartoon-stuffed superhero comedies about a reluctant hero and her very big feelings. A reliable, accessible win for newly independent and reluctant readers.
- Books6 / 6
- Arcs1
- Span2020–2023
- StatusComplete
The series
At a glance.
Sophy Henn's six-book series follows Pizazz, a reluctant nine-year-old superhero, through the ordinary and extraordinary trials of growing up in an extraordinary family. Each book pairs a superhero caper, a super-off with a rival, an army of Demon Pizazzes, the eco-villains of Team Toxic, with a real emotional theme: fitting in at a new school, jealousy, the exhausting trap of perfectionism, feeling overwhelmed, and caring about the whole planet at once. Told in Pizazz's brilliantly sardonic voice and bursting with cartoons, comic panels, lists and doodles on every page, the format is designed to pull in reluctant and newly independent readers. The books are episodic and self-contained, staying reliably warm, funny and low in sensitivity while quietly validating big feelings and celebrating what makes each child different.
Six warm, cartoon-stuffed superhero comedies about a reluctant hero and her very big feelings. A reliable, accessible win for newly independent and reluctant readers.
Primary themes
Overall tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Irreverent
- Warm
Best started with the first book, Pizazz, for the setup and cast, but the books are largely self-contained and can be read in any order after that.
One arc
The shape of the series.
- INarrative arcBooks 1–6 · 2020–2023Low sensitivity
The reluctant superhero
Six self-contained superhero capers, each turning a big feeling into a funny adventure.
The whole series is one running comedy: Pizazz stays a reluctant nine-year-old superhero throughout, and each book is a self-contained caper built around a recognisable childhood feeling, fitting in, jealousy, perfectionism, being overwhelmed, and, in the rousing final book, wanting to save the planet. The cast and family settle in the first book, then recur, but there's no escalating storyline, so after the opener the books can be read in any order. The register never wavers from warm, silly and laugh-out-loud, and there is nothing to trouble sensitive or younger readers. Consistently accessible and heavily illustrated, it's an ideal bridge for children moving on from picture books who want a funny, friendly hero of their own.
Book 1PizazzSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXPizazzBook 2Pizazz vs The New KidSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXIPizazz vs The New KidBook 3Pizazz vs PerfectoSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXIPizazz vs PerfectoBook 4Pizazz vs The DemonsSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXIIPizazz vs The DemonsBook 5Pizazz vs EveryoneSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXIIPizazz vs EveryoneBook 6Pizazz vs The FutureSimon & Schuster Children's UK · MMXXIIIPizazz vs The Future
Fit check
Right for your reader?
Where the series lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 17
- 19
- Best fit · 6–9
- Read aloud · 5–8
- Independent · 6–9
Reluctant-reader friendliness
Very high
Read-aloud quality
Strong
Adult crossover
Low
Grows with the reader
Not especially
Sensitivity envelope
Low overall, and consistent.
Where it sits
In conversation with other series.
Similar in feel
Different shelves, same wavelength.
- Isadora Moon →
About the author