Coolest Club Ever!

Pizza and Taco #9

by Stephen Shaskan

Join Pizza and Taco's afterschool club in the next installment of this hilarious graphic novel chapter book series! What happens when these foodie besties have to compete with a video game club for members ?

Pizza and Taco are serving up more awesomeness with a cool new club! They can't wait to talk about all their favorite interests...including making comic books. Lots of people signed up, so they know it's going to be popular! Then why does everyone go to Cheeseburger's video game club instead?! Pizza and Taco have no choice but to check it out. They just might learn that kids want to make comics just as much as they want to play video games! 

This hilarious young graphic novel series—with chapters—will tickle the funny bones of kids ages 5-8 and bolster their reading confidence. It's the perfect stepping stone for those who are transitioning to longer chapter books and graphic novels.

Readers will be hungry to read all eight books in the series! Here are just a
Who's the Best?
Super-Awesome Comic!
Too Cool for School
Dare to be Scared!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Childrens, Graphic Novels Comics, Humor, Food

72 pages, Hardcover

Published January 7, 2025

Reviews

[Penny Schneider]

So cute and so much fun. Love the whole vibe that you always can find something in common and be friends. Important and relevant message given through a lot of laughs and fun.

[Kriti | Armed with A Book]

Indigo best books of 2025!

Pizza and Taco start an after school club where they plan to share their love for waterslides, rock n roll, robot wrestlers only to have no one show up. Turns out Cheeseburger has a video game after school club that everyone has decided to go to instead.

This is a sweet picture book for early readers. The pictures say a lot and the words and expressions offer a great start for kids getting used to visual and written language. The story is about friendship, clubs, community, shared interests and the good feelings of hanging out together. It is a fun one to read!

[YSBR]

It is the first meeting of Pizza and Taco’s after-school Super Awesome Club.  The agenda is set, their friends have signed up, they even have permission to use Mr. Apple’s classroom … only to find out that their rival, Cheeseburger has started a video game club, which meets the same day.  When only two of their own club members show up (Hamburger and Hot Dog, whose mothers don’t allow them to play video games) they all decide to go check out Cheeseburger’s club, but since they don’t have parent permission to be there, they have to sit in the back.  It turns out it’s not that much fun watching other people play video games, so Pizza and Taco start working on comics about their favorite characters.  Soon enough, everyone else in the club wants to make comics too, and Cheeseburger proposes a super-awesome merger that promises to be the coolest ever.  

Pizza and Taco are on a mission to fit in with the cool kids while still remaining true to what they love, and this is at the heart of this series’ popularity.  Well, that, and the ridiculous premise of talking junk food who speak primarily in exclamations and groan-worthy puns, presented in easy-to-follow comic panels and speech bubbles.  The illustrations consist of simple, digitally rendered scenery behind the characters, which are photos of food items with black line eyes, mouths, and limbs drawn on.  Readers will laugh at their funny facial expressions, body language, and sound effects as well as visual humor in the background details.  Series fans will appreciate many references to earlier installments (Pizza and Taco originally made plans for the Super Awesome Club in book 7 when they realized wrestling wasn’t for them), and all will celebrate this funny, feel-good friendship as they spread their coolness throughout their school. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Becky]

First sentence: Pizza! Pizza! Pizza! Hey! Whoa! Whoa! Ooh!

Premise/plot: Pizza and Taco have starred in nine books together. In this ninth book in the series, Pizza and Taco are excited about starting an after school club, however, they are not the only students starting a club. Can these two have the coolest club ever? And just what should their club be about?

My thoughts: I have read all nine books in the series. Some I have loved, loved, loved. Some I've barely liked. Still this series has more hits than misses as far as I'm concerned. I think the little things that might keep me from "loving" or "gushing" about an individual title in the series probably wouldn't be an issue for the target audience. Series for this age group thrive on having readers who LOVE comfort, familiarity, and predictability. Book characters are FRIENDS. And there's something awesome about coming back again and again to spend time with beloved friends.

I do recommend the series. I am always happy to pick up the newest book in the series.

[Barbara]

Although this addition to the popular series--9 books and counting--isn't as laugh out loud funny as some of the previous ones, it still has appeal for fans of the series amid a relatable situation. And the artwork with all those foods always amuses me. Pizza and Taco are disappointed when no one shows up for their new after-school club. Where is everyone who signed up to join them? They've joined Cheeseburger's club, which features video games. Along with two others, they infiltrate the other club but are relegated to simply watching the other players. Bored, Pizza and Taco start making comics, and Cheeseburger's club becomes distracted by the creative activities. Maybe their club is "kewl," after all.

[Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase]]

Pizza and Taco decide to start a new club at school, but disappointment ensues when they find out they're not the only ones starting a new club. With themes of friendship and finding common ground, I felt this was a great addition to the series. Love the illustrations as always!

Thank you Random House Kids for the gifted copy.

[Read Ribbet]

Pizza and Taco are back in their 8th graphic novel for young readers. This time the story focuses on creating an attractive afterschool club that will appeal to other students (food characters). They find themselves competing against Cheeseburger's Video Gaming Club and end up working together to get new friends.

[Jessica]

Pizza and Taco have their first club meeting, but only Hot Dog and Hamburger show up because everyone else is at Cheeseburger's video game club. Pizza and Taco go check it out, but they aren't allowed to play videogames. So everyone starts drawing comics instead. I liked that some of the kids weren't allowed to play videogames which lead to all the kids being creative off of screens.

[Pam]

Graphic Novel
Pizza and Taco are back for more adventures. When they form an afterschool club, no one else comes. So, they join the video club. None of them are allowed to play so they begin creating their own comics. Soon, everyone has joined them and is ignoring the video game.
Told in short chapter so mid-elementary can read this themselves.

[CYBILS Awards]

Spotted in this Janssen Bradshaw article @ Read Brightly: https://www.readbrightly.com/middle-g...

[Jennifer Brown]

Fun addition to the series!

[Melody]

School story.
School club.
Friendship.
Being creative.

[Molly]

Pretty good! Lots of laughs and friendship moments

[Linda]

Fans of the series will enjoy the latest installment in the series and the joy of the friendship between these two. Great for graduates of Elephant and Piggie.

[Pennie]

7 year old: it was the coolest book ever!!!!

[Rob Allen]

My 6 year old boy thinks this is the coolest book ever!

[I.M.]

i finished the first one and said thank you and then my friends child handed me this one right after
its okay, i just think the early series is where it shines