The Mysterious New Girl (Casey’s Cases #1)

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. On her birthday, Casey receives a magnifying glass and binoculars (necessities for a detective), as well as underwear (embarrassing), thus solving this pleasant early reader’s inaugural mystery: the Case of the Wrapped Presents. She uses her new binoculars to get the scoop on tan-skinned Jan, a tie-wearing new girl with an aptitude for science; the two become fast Bert and Ernie–esque friends. Casey joyfully approaches each new scenario, including kickball tryouts, decoding a note (that’s not a love letter) from her crush, and determining the gender of fat cat Mr. Muffin. Uncomplicated paneling and crisp line drawings punctuated by eye-catchingly bright hues encourage readers to join Casey as she endeavors to crack the case in this inviting series starter. Entertaining supporting characters—each rendered using simple shapes and a variety of skin tones—and their side stories inject goofy humor. Ages 7–10. Agent: Hannah Mann, Writers House. (Feb.)