Casey's Cases: The Mysterious New Girl

Casey's Cases

by Kay Healy

Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Nancy Drew meets Amelia Bedelia in this hilarious young graphic novel series featuring an aspiring detective who will solve any case . . . usually accidentally.

Casey wants nothing more than to be a detective. No mystery is too big or small for her to tackle! OK, so she doesn’t see everything coming—mean girl Dina always has the last word, and Casey is constantly falling into embarrassing disasters in front of cute boy AJ.

But now, it’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s just been given a magnifying glass and a pair of binoculars—perfect gifts for today’s mystery: Mr. Muffin, a cat Casey’s parents insist is too big to be a hungry stray. Will Casey manage to convince them he belongs with her? More importantly, could that new girl in school be the perfect contender for a new best friend? Casey’s on the job, and she won’t stop till all cases are closed.

Fresh talent Kay Healy’s winsome heroine, crackling wit, and charmingly geometric characters alchemize to comedy gold. Voracious young comics fans won’t want to miss Casey’s laugh-out-loud debut.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mystery, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Humor, Childrens, Chapter Books

160 pages, Hardcover

First published February 11, 2025

About the author

Through her life-sized drawn, painted, and screen-printed fabric installations, Kay Healy investigates themes of home, loss, displacement, and resilience with interview-based projects.

Healy received a BA from Oberlin College and a MFA from the University of the Arts. Her installation Coming Home was purchased by the Pennsylvania Convention Center, and her work has been supported by the Independence Foundation’s Fellowship in the Arts and the Leeway Foundation.

Healy has had solo exhibitions at Gallery Madison Park in New York City, Gallery Septima in Tokyo, Japan, the Windgate Gallery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, and other galleries. She has completed residencies at KKV Print Studios in Malmö, Sweden, The Cooper Union in New York City, and Moosey Gallery in Norwich, UK.

Reviews

[Danielle]

Otto's latest favorite! 😻

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first book in the Casey’s Cases series is perfect for those in grades 1-3 who enjoy the graphic novel format. Illustrations of the characters are cute but with their “conehead” appearance may not appeal to readers looking for more realistic representations of people, but Healy manages to convey emotions and personality with intelligent brush strokes and the shapes of eyes and mouths. Casey, her crush AJ, new girl Jan and wealthy, not very nice Dina are all in the 5th grade, but their interactions seem much younger than that, but that’s OK as the extremely limited and simple text is more appropriate for younger than 5th grade. The group, lead by Casey, set out to solve few mysteries at home, school and their neighborhood. AJ, Jan, Coach and Ms D are pictured with slightly darker skin than Dina, Casey and Grandma, Mom and Dad but race is not indicated for any with naming, cultural references or stated.

A great choice for libraries serving grades 1-3 and some in kindergarten. Watch for book 2, Everything is Terrible, coming September 2025.

[Abbigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I desperately want specific people to know that this is the perfect book for people who like Teen Girl Squad-- the mean girl, the abrupt turns in plot, the humor, and the illustration style. So endearing, goofy, and enjoyable. For the simplicity that sort of defines this book, I loved the characters in this book.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This quirky but fun graphic novel for younger readers has an episodic nature that made me feel like I was reading a book full of Sunday comics.

[Doreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, what a smart and funny way to start an advancing reader's graphic novel series!

It's Casey's eleventh birthday, and she's thrilled to be able to open two of her presents before school, saving the rest for her birthday party later on. She's especially thrilled to discover that she's been gifted a magnifying glass and binoculars, both of which will help in her quest to be a Super Detective.

As she's waiting for the bus with her frenemy Dina, she spots a new girl arriving. Thus begins The Case Of The Mysterious New Girl, as Casey investigates this strange new student who's wearing a tie to school. Subsequent cases ensue, as Casey befriends Jan (as the new girl is named) and they embark on a series of small but important adventures. It's honestly one of the cutest and funniest things I've ever read, and I don't want to spoil all the pleasant surprises of this book by saying too much more about the plot.

The art... well, it's certainly distinctive. Everyone's sort of triangle-shaped and nobody has a neck, but none of this detracts from the expressiveness of the story (tho I admittedly found some of the fuller-length depictions a bit vertiginous.) That said, the layouts and lettering are terrific, and really make the story sing.

I'm super glad I already have the sequel in my hot little hands, tho given my reading schedule, I definitely won't be able to get to it till much closer to its September pub date. I'm just glad I'm assured of the opportunity to continue enjoying Casey's excellent adventures.

Casey's Cases, Vol 1: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy was published February 11 2025 by Neal Porter Books and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!

This review originally appeared at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newly-turned 11-year-old Casey is on the case of several mysteries in this graphic novel that will have readers chortling and scratching their heads From the opening "The Case of the Wrapped Presents" to the concluding "The Case of the Seven Best Kitten Names of All Time," everything's a mystery worth solving for this determined young girl. As she looks for answers to a missing hairband and misplaced birthday money, and tries to find out more about the new girl at school, Casey makes her way into readers' hearts. With humor, moxie, and determination plus some help from friends, Casey may not be the most popular girl in the fifth grade, but she is surely one who is unique and true to herself. Her realization about friendship and how friends act in the final chapter is a good lesson for us all, and the soiling of the cat litter box right after it's been cleaned made me laugh since it's realistic when it comes to cats but also to life's messiness and unpredictability. The colorful, blocky artwork with long vertical lines and roundish or triangular shapes add to the book's appeal for its intended audience. This is an impressive debut, and readers will hope for a return of Casey and more cases for this budding detective to solve. Because the cases tend to be rather small, they are just the sort of mysteries that someone in fourth or fifth grade might face, making the book's content all the more relatable.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLEASE READ THIS ON MY BLOG: https://bookreadingtic.com/2025/07/28... AND PLEASE FOLLOW ME, THANK YOU!

On the Job!

Casey is a quirky fifth-grader who loves to solve mysteries such as the missing hair band or the wrapped presents. Casey often stumbles into new cases in everyday life--such as the time when a new girl, Jan, came to her school. While Casey worked to solve the mystery of who Jan is, she discovered she had made a new friend in the process.

She has a good heart, and is friendly to her school mates, including Dina who has no end of negative things to say. Casey’s favorite saying is, OMG, and she would like her love interest to notice her.

All of this is done in comic book form or graphic novel design. This is a fun way for lots of kids who don’t like to read, to read, and great for those who are already reading lovers.

I thought the cat mystery was great, and hope Mr., that is Ms., Muffin gets to stay with Casey. I had a similar thing happen with my cat, Chester, that had to be renamed Chesterina.

Children aged seven to eleven-years-old will enjoy this five-star book.

Thanks to Candlewick Books for providing Tickmenot with a book to review. Opinions are my own.

[YSBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysterious new girl? Missing hairband? Lost cat? Bumbling, big-hearted eleven-year-old Casey is on the case! Whether she’s enthusiastically rummaging through trash or trying to solve the mystery of a “love” note, Casey’s adorable can-do attitude, positivity, and humor shine through. The illustrations are endearingly fun and simple and the clever storylines create a charmingly funny early graphic novel that is sure to be a hit with readers. Characters come in a wide range of shades and shapes, casually inhabiting Casey’s world. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey is a bit of Harriet, The Spy and Nancy Drew rolled up into a simple line drawn character who is adventurous, curious and out to make a new friend. Her cases are every-day-life kind of scenarios but she approaches each one with strength and humor. Love this mighty little package! Of course there’s a mean girl, but this does not slow the heroine down. She had me laughing out loud at her antics and just her “matter of fact” way of approaching life. She’s fun!

[Brandi Rae Fong]

This was cute and pretty funny. Determined to be a detective, Casey flits from "case" to "case," trying to make everything into a mini mystery to solve.

I just wish I could get more kids to check it out. I'm thinking it's the sparse, slightly conehead style art that they just aren't connecting with.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll say 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because of how enjoyably stupid this was. The artwork is bad but in a charming way (made me think of South Park) and the story is simple af but still hella cute. There was also some decent humour in there, so I would totally read more of Casey's adventures.

[Debra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny relatable graphic children's book. I'm a practical grandma and Casey gets a birthday present from grandma that is very relatable. Casey forms friendships, finds a cat, and tries out for a kickball team. There are plenty of twists and surprise. Enjoy and laugh out loud!

[Wina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly graphic novel for ages 7-10, Casey is so clueless that her readers will feel smarter than Casey and identify with her friend, instead. Her friend is smart and kind, and there's plenty of humor. Short for younger readers.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is VERY juvenile. It would be something I could recommend to a young reader who likes simple storylines and isn't annoyed by repetitions. The MC is billed as 12, but acts significantly younger. I'm not convinced to purchase this for my library.

[Dolores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute graphic novel for the younger set.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story.
School story.
Friendship.
Kittens.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey is sweet and fun, even though she’s got room to grow in her detecting skills!

[kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey, I love you!

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the silly humor!

[Maura McGowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book! My 6-year old laughed many times as we were reading this!