The best graphic novel with hilarious animal characters

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a big fan of two things… one is graphic novels and the other is funny stuff! When those two things come together I am in my zone. I read lots of graphic novels when I was a kid and I've never really stopped. They are a great part of anyone’s reading diet. Now I write funny graphic novels for kids with my writing partner Jol. We’ve written 20 books to date including The Underdogs series, but there’s more to come!


I wrote...

The Underdogs Serve It Up

By Kate Temple, Jol Temple, Shiloh Gordon (illustrator)

Book cover of The Underdogs Serve It Up

What is my book about?

It’s time for the biggest event in Dogtown’s sporting calendar! The Dogtown tennis Grand Slam! But wait, someone has stolen all the balls in Dogtown. This is a case for The Underdogs!

The Underdog Detective Agency has a proud tradition of sniffing out trouble… (and sniffing each other’s butts!) These dog detectives have a secret weapon… a cat! And in a down that’s gone to the dogs, you need a cat!

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Real Pigeons Fight Crime

Kate Temple Why did I love this book?

Have you even noticed how pigeons are everywhere and we don’t really notice them?

Wouldn’t they make the best spies and the best crime fighters? Well the authors of this book think so and so do I.

This is a funny, funny graphic novel. Super easy for young readers who are looking to move out of picture books and want something more substantial but also safe and hilarious.

By Andrew McDonald, Ben Wood (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Real Pigeons Fight Crime as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's-wait, it really IS a bird! Take another look, because what looks like an ordinary pigeon might just be a hero saving your butt! Meet the crime-fighting pigeons secretly flying around chasing bad guys in this hilarious illustrated series perfect for fans of BAD GUYS and DOG MAN.

What do REAL PIGEONS do? They fight crime, of course! Wait, what? You didn't know your town is protected by a secret squad of crime-fighting feathered friends? Well, you are about to get schooled. REAL PIGEONS solve mysteries! REAL PIGEONS fight bad guys! And REAL PIGEONS…


Book cover of The Bad Guys

Kate Temple Why did I love this book?

This is the first book in the series and what a series it is!

Super funny and I love the illustration style. This one is easy to read not too many words on the page but that doesn’t stop it from having a big personality and lots of action!

By Aaron Blabey,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Bad Guys as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!

"I wish I'd had these books as a kid. Hilarious!" -- Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dog ManThis New York Times bestselling illustrated series is perfect for fans of Dog Man and Captain Underpants.They sound like bad guys, they look like bad guys . . . and they even smell like bad guys. But Mr. Wolf, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Snake, and Mr. Shark are about to change all of that...Mr. Wolf has a daring plan for the Bad Guys' first good mission. They are going to break two hundred dogs out of the…


Book cover of Cat Kid Comic Club

Kate Temple Why did I love this book?

The follow up from the smash hit Dogman.

Like Dogman this is a really fun read. What I really like about this one thought is all the mini comics inside the book.

I also love how they are shot photographically and that makes the look of this book feel really different from Dogman too. 

By Dav Pilkey, Dav Pilkey (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cat Kid Comic Club as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 7, 8, 9, and 10.

What is this book about?

The perfect present for DOG MAN fans - starring some
of your favourite characters from the series!
Welcome to the Cat Kid Comic Club, where Li'l
Petey (LP), Flippy, and Molly introduce twenty-one rambunctious, funny, and talented
baby frogs to the art of comic making.

As the story unwinds with mishaps and hilarity, readers get to
see the progress, mistakes, and improvements that come with practice
and persistence.

Squid Kid and Katydid, Baby
Frog Squad, Gorilla Cheese Sandwich,
and Birds Flowers Tree: A Haiku Photo Comic
are just some of the mini-comics that are included as stories-within-the-story,
each done in…


Book cover of Otto: A Palindrama

Kate Temple Why did I love this book?

This graphic novel isn't just funny and odd it's pure genius.

The entire story is written in palindrome I guess that's why they call it a 'palin-drama'! It's all about this boy called Otto who goes looking for his lost pet Pip.

The places he goes and the weird folks he meets are very absurd and delightful. This book is gold.

By Jon Agee, Jon Agee (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Otto as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

This absurdly clever and funny graphic novel, told entirely in palindromes, is created by World Palindrome Champion Jon Agee, author of Go Hang a Salami! I'm a Lasagna Hog!

Otto is having a very palindramatic day. His pet, Pip, has gone missing, and his search for the dog leads him deeper and deeper into a strange and perplexing world--full of talking owls, stacks of cats, storms and mazes, boats and trains and automobiles . . . oh my! Everything seems to be the same backward and forward, and Pip isn't sure he'll ever find his way home to Mom and…


Book cover of Pawcasso

Kate Temple Why did I love this book?

This one has a human in it but also a dog – the world’s cutest and sweetest dog Pawcasso.

So it’s not as side-splitting as my other recommendation but after all that laughing you’ll need to settle down with this heart-warming tale or should I say tail!

This is a story all about friendship and belonging and it will make you feel terrific! 

By Remy Lai,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Pawcasso as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 8, 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

Remy Lai, the award-winning creator of Pie in the Sky makes her middle-grade graphic novel debut, Pawcasso, about the unexpected friendship between the loneliest girl in class and the coolest canine in town.

A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021, Amazon Best Book of the Month, New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, and Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

"It's tail-wagging entertaining!" ―Kelly Yang, New York Times bestselling author of Front Desk

Every Saturday, Pawcasso trots into town with a basket, a shopping list, and cash in paw to buy groceries for his family. One…


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Book cover of The Case of the Zombie Ninjas

Erik Christopher Martin Author Of The Case of the French Fry Phantom: Dotty Morgan Supernatural Sleuth Book One

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Why am I passionate about this?

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What is my book about?

Twelve-year-old supernatural sleuth Dotty Morgan becomes embroiled in an ancient conflict between rival Japanese factions, and the timing couldn't be worse. A new girl in town creates jealousy between Dotty and her girlfriend, and her mother invites a nightmare houseguest to stay with them. She must put the drama aside and focus to solve a four-hundred-year-old murder and protect the people she loves.

This is the second book in the Dotty Morgan Supernatural Sleuth series.

The Case of the Zombie Ninjas

By Erik Christopher Martin,

What is this book about?

The Sato Corporation comes to Elderton.

The Sato Corporation built the new Crooked Creek Commons parking garage. They bought Blue Devil Castle for their new corporate retreat. They funded the Waverly Perchance Memorial Garden, a project organized by twelve-year-old Dotty Morgan. Now, Mr. Sato himself takes an interest in Dotty and her dream of owning and operating a legit Supernatural Sleuthing Agency. Mr. Sato's interest comes with cash.

If Dotty lets Mr. Sato examine the Japanese sword and cup her dad recently acquired, then Mr. Sato will approve a generous small business grant. All Dotty's dreams will come true. Simple,…


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