Supa Nova

Supa Nova, a graphic novel, is an action-packed story with plenty of heart and humour. Its focus is Nova, a genius young scientist - hence 'Supa Nova' - who is keen to solve some of the world's problems using her knowledge of science. Fortunately she has a secret (and massive!) underground laboratory for her experiments, although these don't always turn out as she plans!

In her first adventure, Nova wants to tackle the problem of the 'plastic islands' in the Atlantic, where the world's plastic rubbish is circulating and she's seeking something that will eat its way through this, much like the worms and fungi have been discovered to do, but Nova wants to speed up the process. Unfortunately, her creation, Chomp, brings a different set of problems....

Nova is a great character, clever, warm-hearted and with a 'can-do' attitude, she is empowering and fun to read about. What brings the heart into this story is her relationship with her family, particularly her big sister, and it's lovely to see this positive representation of a black family play out on the pages.

It goes without saying that the focus on using science to solve the world's problems is inspiring and hopefully will encourage children to discuss this and go and find out more about the issues covered - although this is much more a fantasy adventure than a factual approach to science.

Supa Nova makes for a gripping read, and the graphic novel element will have the more reluctant readers as well as keen readers hooked. This is a page-turner with plenty of appeal for 7+ readers who are seeking out a new Marvel-like character with plenty of pizzazz!

160 pages / Reviewed by Elen Green

Suggested Reading Age 7+