Casey's Cases: The Mysterious New Girl - by Kay Healy

About the Book

"Hapless-but-spirited tween detective Casey tackles cases big and small, from a new girl at school to a lost cat"--

Book Synopsis

Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Nancy Drew meets Amelia Bedelia in this hilarious young graphic novel series featuring an aspiring detective who will solve any case . . . usually accidentally.

Casey wants nothing more than to be a detective. No mystery is too big or small for her to tackle! OK, so she doesn't see everything coming--mean girl Dina always has the last word, and Casey is constantly falling into embarrassing disasters in front of cute boy AJ.

But now, it's Casey's eleventh birthday, and she's just been given a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars--perfect gifts for today's mystery: Mr. Muffin, a cat Casey's parents insist is too big to be a hungry stray. Will Casey manage to convince them he belongs with her? More importantly, could that new girl in school be the perfect contender for a new best friend? Casey's on the job, and she won't stop till all cases are closed.

Fresh talent Kay Healy's winsome heroine, crackling wit, and charmingly geometric characters alchemize to comedy gold. Voracious young comics fans won't want to miss Casey's laugh-out-loud debut.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Review Quotes

[A] charming and comedic debut. . . Fun and irreverent mysteries with relatable humor fill this charmer that highlights the value of friendship and being yourself. Highly recommended.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

While her cases may not be as mysterious as Nancy Drew's or as challenging as Encyclopedia Brown's, debut creator Healy's ebullient would-be investigator Casey--depicted as a pale-skinned, triangle-shaped 11-year-old with brown pigtails and a red dress--is a welcome addition to the cadre of juvenile sleuths.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Delightfully silly, with humor aimed right at middle-grade readers and a few slightly more-mature sight gags that older readers will catch. The art is equally silly, with basic shapes, squiggles, and expressive eye-rolls working together to animate the small cast of characters. The case of the funny new graphic novel is closed!
--Booklist

The mysteries are fun, but the highlight is the friends we'll make along the way.
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Kay Healy grew up on Staten Island, a borough of New York City. She studied art history at Oberlin College in Ohio, then went to art school to learn printmaking and book arts at UArts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When not making books, Healy draws, screen prints, and sews fabric soft sculptures in her studio. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and one dog.