Saturday Morning Cartoons- Harper Sharp: Kid Detective: (A Graphic Novel)

Williams, Jarrett. Harper Sharp: Kid Detective: (A Graphic Novel)
March 3, 2026 by Random House Graphic
E ARC provided by Netgalley 

Harper is a big fan of the Detective Kim podcast and is well known for solving mysteries at Starview Elementary school for Principal Toughcook. He carries his magnifying glass everywhere he goes, and is a keen observer. His best friend, Marcos, is very invested in the Sunset Showdown video game. Loof is the school bully who has it in for Harper ever since he stole basketball cards and got in trouble when Harper found him out. There is an Inventors' Fair in the works, and Mrs. Maple leaf is very excited about it, so when someone defaces her sign with "Beware the fair", Harper is called on to find out who did it after someone also toilet papers the gym. His sister Harlow, Grandma, and parents are all super supportive, especially when Harper is threatened to let the investigation go. After intensive investigation, Harper discovers the culprit and reveals him at the Inventors' Fair. 

This was a fun, brightly colored graphic novel with a LOT going on. Elementary school readers who like the graphic novel adaptations of Gibbs' Spy School or Springer's Enola Holmes series or Goerz's Shirley and Jamila books might want to pick this one up. I'll be curious to see if this becomes a series. 

Gibbs, Stuart and Sarkar, Anjan (Illustrator) 

Spy School Secret Service (Spy School Graphic Novels #5)

April 28, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus

The graphic novel adaptations of this series adhere very closely to the original plots, and seem to even preserve some of the prose. I didn't reread the original, but some of the letters are reproduced, and the language seems very familiar. The illustrations are done in a particularly pleasing style, somewhere between Raina Telgemaier's work and a comic book. It's fun to see the school, as well as the locations. I'm not sure I agree with depicting Erica Hale in all black most of the time; she's a good enough spy that I feel like she would be more nuanced. I do enjoy the thumbnail sketches and descriptions of the agents.

These are not as popular in my library as the novels; there's a LOT of text. I've only bought the first two because of budget constraints, but do have additional volumes on my wish list for possible future purchases.