Nina Peanut: Creative Genius

Nina Peanut #1

by Sarah Bowie

Perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, here is a witty and humorous story about a girl’s claim to fame and her journey toward self-discovery.

Nina Peanut runs a very serious, very amazing YouTube channel; so why are her grandmother and her best friend, Brian, her only viewers? (Hint: it might have something to do with her obsessions with quirky stuff like a potato with a human face.) Nina wants to be as popular as queen bee Megan Dunne, and when Nina’s cat accidentally wanders into one of Megan’s videos, Nina realizes she just might have the chance to chase her dreams. But as Nina goes down the road of stardom, she starts to question whether or not fame is worth the price she’s paying.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Childrens, Middle Grade, Chapter Books

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2024

About the author

Sarah Bowie is an author and illustrator based in Waterford City, Ireland.

Reviews

[Tracy Lander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Kiran at Scholastic Uk for the advance copy of this book which is released on 14th March.
Nina Peanut is definitely great fun! She also has a stinky old cat, Les, a potato with a face and she knows how to cook frozen pizza!

Nina has a Boogletoob channel where she posts 'Amazing and Non-Stupid' videos. But she only has two subscribers - her Nan and forever best friend Brian! But they are very appreciative.
However, Megan Dunne, she of the swishy hair, fashion-leading clothes and who thinks she's amazing has 8204. By the way they are not friends!
When teacher Mr Harrison pairs the children for a video project with their pets and he pairs Nina with Megan! Megan thinks that they should only do what she wants which is pretty much, filming her pooch Princess Trixie Bell doing dancing and tricks. However, when she has to go to Nina's house she tries to embarrass Nina by filming Nina's cat Les with her pants on his head. But it backfires, and so Nina's channel becomes very popular and Megan wants to be her bestie.

Nina learns that friendships are important, but so is not judging others. She also learns from Brian that she and Megan aren't so different! A firm lesson in being who you are not what someone wants you to be.
Brilliant fun. Going to place in our year 5/6 class but younger children will be fine with content if they are confident readers. Sarah Bowie has made a really good job of this, her first middle grade book.
TA, ESCP.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking friendship, Internet fame and a pet talent show in her grasp, Nina wants it all! There’s pet cats, dogs, ponies and potatoes aplenty! This made me chuckle lots and all of the illustrations just brought me joy. This is definitely going to be a hit in my classroom!

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit was echt heel leuk om te lezen. Over een meisje genaamd Nina Nootjes die soms erg bazig is maar ook gewoon lekker maf en best aardig. We lezen over videos maken, over populariteit, over schattige huisdieren, vriendschappen, er zijn toffe andere karakters, en leuke art. Helaas ook wat pesten, gelukkig viel dat in het einde nog mee en kwam het ook allemaal wel goed.
Ik wil zeker meer Nina Nootjes!

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nina Peanut is annoying and obnoxious. Her rival Megan is no better.

[the.bookish.kingdom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really cute, kinda reminded me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Dork Diaries. It was funny and I really liked all the colorful drawings. Recommended to middle school🐴🪩
Format:📓

הספר הזה היה ממש חמוד, קצת הזכיר לי את יומנו של חנון ויומני החנונית. זה היה מצחיק וממש אהבתי את האיורים הצבעוניים. מומלץ לילדי יסודי 🐴🪩
פורמט:📓
הספר התקבל לסקירה

[Kathy Temean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very funny book that kids will love. Sarah did a great job with the story and the illustrations. Nina Peanut runs a very serious, very amazing Boogletoob video channel, except for her grandmother and her best friend, Brian, who are her only viewers. Brian is her best friend and video assistant, helping her make HOW TO PEEL A BANANA. HOW TO NOT STEP IN POOP, and THIS POTATO HAS A FACE.

POINTY-OUT PAMELA! is a girl who lives on Nina's street who loves POINTING STUFF OUT, especially if it is Obvious, Annoying, Boring, or INSULTING, and tags along if she sees Nina. Brian and Nina call their teacher, Mr. Harrison, at DOZYVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL, Mr. Hairyson, since he has a bushy beard.

Nina isn't as popular as Queen Bee Mean Girl Megan Dunne, whose own Boogletoob channel, featuring her incredibly trained (and perfectly coifed) poodle, gets thousands of views daily. Mean girl Megan makes videos along with her sidekick Ovaltine, like Watch Princess Trixie Bell ( cute little doggie), Swim Like A Pro In My HUGE POOL, and Wow! Princess Trixie Bell Rides a Zip Line Without Even BLINKING. Everyone in school loves her videos.

It's so funny when Nina gives Brian a Secret Eyebrow Code but never shares it with Brian. Poor Brian can't figure out the code.

Then there is wacky Uncle Freddie and Nina's next-door neighbor, Nosy Norma. And when Mom rushes out the front door for work, her feet fly, and two curved lines lead to a puff of wiggles, with an arrow saying, SPEED (not Mom gas).  Kids will chuckle at all this. And when Nina says at the bottom of the page, "There aren’t enough speech bubbles for everything on Mom’s list. "

Every page is full of action and silly thoughts that are so funny because they ring true.

Everyone loves Megan's videos, and Megan invites all the girls in class to her Fashion Show Birthday Party, except for Nina. Nina is upset, but Megan is a true mean girl.

Anyway, when the weekend is over and everyone returns to school, Mr. Hairyson tells them about a new assignment: they can work in pairs. Nina and Brian are happy, as are Megan and Ovaltina, until he tells them he is picking the pairs, and Megan and Nina are put together to make a video. Of course, they don't work well together, but when Nina's smelly cat gets into the video wearing Underwear on his head, he accidentally turns into the star of one of Megan's videos, and both girls get thousands of views.

Kids will love this fun comic-style graphic novel and laugh at the attics that fill all the pages. Pick it up to find out how Nana and her cat become famous and how Nina and Megan end up being friends. It's a funny, winding road, but they get there, and so do Brain, Otaltina, and POINTY-OUT PAMELA.

I love this hilariously funny story, which explores themes of friendship, frenemies, big dreams, and goofy pets. It's perfect for middle schoolers. Parents will enjoy the humor, too.

[Samantha Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina Peanut: Creative Genius by Sarah Bowie is an adorable and heartwarming story that captivates readers with its charm and creativity. The book follows the young Nina Peanut, a spirited and imaginative girl with a big heart and an even bigger imagination. She embarks on a delightful journey of self-discovery and creative expression, finding unique ways to solve problems and explore her talents.

Bowie’s writing style is simple yet engaging, making it a perfect read for younger audiences. The illustrations are bright and playful, complementing Nina's vibrant personality and adding to the overall whimsy of the book. The characters, particularly Nina, are lovable and relatable, and the narrative is filled with fun twists that will keep kids entertained while also encouraging them to embrace their own creative sides.

While the story is undeniably cute and inspiring, I did find that it could have gone a bit deeper in exploring Nina's character and the themes of creativity. However, for a book aimed at a younger audience, it strikes the right balance of fun and message. It teaches important lessons about self-expression, problem-solving, and the value of thinking outside the box.

Overall, Nina Peanut: Creative Genius is a delightful read for children and a great way to spark their imagination. It's a sweet, feel-good story that’s sure to be enjoyed by many. I would give this book a solid 4/5—it's a charming tale that would make a wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nina Peanut likes making videos for an online site, but she has to learn that getting likes online doesn’t mean that you will have good friends in real life. This is an important lesson for kids to learn these days when they want to gain popularity online, but that can take away from your real life interactions. Your online popularity can also be taken away or turned into something that makes you feel bad or embarrassed quite quickly as well. Nina was also funny, and she reminded me of a younger Georgia Nicolson character.

Nina Peanut: Creative Genius is a fun middle grade graphic novel!

[Anouk Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dit boek is echt veel leuker dan ik had verwacht! Ik kon niet stoppen met lezen, het las heerlijk. De tekeningen zijn heel mooi en gaan perfect samen met de tekst. Naast verslavend vond ik het ook erg grappig. Het boek is een groot verhaal, wel met natuurlijke pauzepunten, wat ik veel prettig vind dan alleen maar korte stukjes. Ik kijk uit naar het lezen van het volgende deel!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute and creative read. I enjoyed the various characters and how they grew and their friendships evolved throughout the book. The illustrations were good and very relatable to the elementary age group.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,75⭐️

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliantly hilarious with proper laugh out loud moments

[Rhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vacuous and predictable. 2 stars because I enjoyed the format, the illustration style is fun.

[Sean Green · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was good but not the best

[Page Turners · Rating 5 out of 5]

we really liked this book. it had lots of pictures and it is colourful and funny the end

[Erin Bothwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, not my favourite and don’t think I’d read another from this author but it was a good quick read that you could read in one sitting

[✨Thea✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an AMAZING book it made me laugh 😆 so much. Nina is hilarious character. I truly love this book I REALLY recommend. 🙂

[books.bintulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aug 2024: Nina Peanut is Amazing

Nina Peanut is an aspiring and dedicated maker of amazing & non-stupid videos. She lives with her Mum, Nan and a pet cat and has a best friend, Brian. She has 5 videos on her Boogletoob account and 2 followers; Nan and Brian.

Guess what kind of Non-stupid videos she's made? This Potato Has a Face, How to Peel a Banana and How To Not Step in Poo. Sounds beneficial right? But only to Nan and Brian.

Nina is optimistic about gaining more followers. Or at least more followers than her rival at school, Megan Dunne. Until a school's talent show destined the two of them as partners. While practising for the show, their video contents were catching up on each other as well. That's when the drama and chaos begins!

🥔🥔🥔

We love this one so much! I had to wait for my turn to read since my kids got their hands on it first. It's witty, creative and vibrant! My favourite is Les the Sleepyhead, he's the true star of the show.

Perhaps being competitive and striving for perfection is the main theme of this graphic novel. Nina wants to beat Megan on Boogletoob, Nina wants to push her potato idea and Megan not losing to Nina and her ex-schoolmate. Eventually, Nina and Megan learn their lessons.

Quoting a piece of advice from Nan:
"So you won't ever do anything unless you can do it PERFECTLY?" Nan asks.
"Exactly," I say.
"That's a shame, pumpkin. Then you'll never do very much at all," she says.

This book reminds us so much of our Covid lockdown. We tried having a YT channel with one rule - must be non-stupid videos. We ended up uploading 2 videos and got 5 subscribers! (don't ask me further🤣)

To Sarah Bowie, thank you for this entertaining masterpiece. We want more! Also thank you #Pansing for this copy and the cutesy tote bag. Go grab this at good bookstores.

[Sean Harding · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bowie's Oddities #1
Nina Peanut #1
The biggest issue I had with this apart from the fact that it took a long lime to tell you what was a very predicable story that has been told a million times before was that none of the characters are likeable, and I would have liked to smack them all in the chops!
It wasn't all bad, but they were really annoying people.

[Mrs Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t realise this was more graphic novel/comic book style. It had some good moments. Some great lessons to be learnt. Not my usual style of book but can some children loving it.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was sooooo good i loved it . Also if you liked this book than you will LOVE and I mean LOVEEEEE the diary of a wimpy kid 🫶🏼❤️🫧

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book pretty well. I’m glad that in the end she went back to doing the videos she likes to do.