What do you think?
Rate this book
Batcat #3
Batcat: Cooking Contest!
Batcat is back and cooking up something extra special in the new graphic novel in Meggie Ramm’s hilarious early reader series
There’s something delicious in the air on Spooky Isle . . . it’s the scent of fall! The changing of seasons means Spooky Isle transforms into an autumnal wonderland—the tree leaves and the skull on Mount Marrow change colors, the air gets crisper, and, best of all, the Night Festival arrives!
Celebrating food, friends, found family, and festivities, everyone is excited for the next full moon. And this year, Al will enter the cooking contest! But Al doesn’t know what to cook . . . and he really, really wants to win! Together, Batcat and Al search for the perfect recipe and learn that sometimes winning doesn’t always mean coming in first place.
Filled with pun-derful, spooky (but not too spooky) humor, Cooking Contest! is perfect for fans of Investigators, the Narwhal and Jelly series, and Abrams’ own Astrid and Stella series.
There’s something delicious in the air on Spooky Isle . . . it’s the scent of fall! The changing of seasons means Spooky Isle transforms into an autumnal wonderland—the tree leaves and the skull on Mount Marrow change colors, the air gets crisper, and, best of all, the Night Festival arrives!
Celebrating food, friends, found family, and festivities, everyone is excited for the next full moon. And this year, Al will enter the cooking contest! But Al doesn’t know what to cook . . . and he really, really wants to win! Together, Batcat and Al search for the perfect recipe and learn that sometimes winning doesn’t always mean coming in first place.
Filled with pun-derful, spooky (but not too spooky) humor, Cooking Contest! is perfect for fans of Investigators, the Narwhal and Jelly series, and Abrams’ own Astrid and Stella series.
96 pages, Hardcover
First published April 22, 2025
21 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
About the author
Meggie Ramm
6 books30 followersMeggie Ramm is a cartoonist and comic teacher with an MFA in comics who runs an education comic podcast called Pop! Whiz! Bang!
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 13, 2025
Possibly my favorite Batcat yet?? In this one Batcat and their ghost bestie, Al, both enter contests as part of the annual Night Festival. The colors in this one are so autumnal and vibrant, and the backgrounds so detailed and full of little jokes. This series is magical and full of heart <3
December 8, 2025
Amazing book! Very excited for book four!
December 18, 2025
Oh this was so stinkin’ cute! I love the setting, the characters, and the art style. Plus the story itself is light hearted, funny and cozy. Kid me would have devoured this series! Semi-related: young adult me created a character 20-some years ago called Kittybat. I’ve always been a bit grumpy when someone else has successfully sold and marketed a similar version of the character, but in this case, I’m not mad at all. Batcat is hilarious!
June 29, 2025
More thoughts on the full series in my review of Book 1 but chiming in here to say that this one is my kids’ favorite. The following review was their idea: 🍕🌮🍔🌭🌯🥙🥗🥪🍟🍖🍗🥓🍱🥘🧆🍲🍛🍜🍝🍣🍤🍿🥟🍳🥞🧇🍪🍩🧁🍦🍨🍧🍮🥧🍰🎂🍭🍫🍬🍆🍑🍓🍒🥑🍌🍎🍊🍍🍋🥥🥚🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🥜🥔🍇🍉🥝🥯🍞🥩🥦🥖🥒🍯🥕🌽🍡🥨🍏🍅🍘🥬🍚🥐🦐🍈🍙🍢🥡🫘🥠🍐🌰🧈🍥🫕🫔🥫🍋🟩🍄🟫🦪🫐🫚🫒🧅🧄🥮🫛🍠🫑🫓🌶️🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🍴
May 9, 2025
This is the third graphic novel in the BatCat series about roommates Batcat and Al the Ghost.
It’s autumn in Spooky Isle and time for the annual Night Festival. Al enters the festival’s cooking competition, but isn’t sure what to cook, so Batcat and Al go in search of advice from the Isle’s other residents.
The story has a low-stakes conflict with a lot of great moments that touch on new experiences, making choices, and dealing with stress, disappointment, and excitement.
Ramm really excels at humor with jokes that will please both child and adult readers.
The illustrations are super fun. There is a lot of movement on the page, and bold color choices work well with the high-energy story. Its always clear which order panels should be read.
The double-page spread of the Night Festival is fabulous. There are so many creative details (dunk tank, rides, and an amazing setup with graham crackers and marshmallows) that readers will spot when they spend time exploring the spread.
A special shout-out to letterer Chris Dickey. The text was super clean, easy to read, and most pleasing to the eye.
Back matter includes:
A yummy recipe
Information about drawing sound effects.
Overall, an excellent graphic novel. I hope Ramm continues with this series.
I’d recommend this to readers who enjoyed:
The Great Puptective graphic novel series by Alina Tysoe
Wombats graphic novel series by Maddie Frost
Spirited graphic novel series by Liv Livingston and Glass House Graphics
Garlic graphic novel series by Bree Paulsen
Other people whose hard work made this graphic novel a success:
Editor: Charlotte Greenbaum
Designer: Andrea Miller
Managing Editor: Marie Oishi
Production Manager: Maggie Moore
Letterer: Chris Dickey
Flatter: Mariya Juni
Cover illustration: Meggie Ramm
Cover design: Andrea Miller
Series: Batcat
Published by: Abrams Fanfare
Publication date: April 22, 2025
Pages: 96
Ages: 6-9
Want to support the writer/artist, letterer, flatter, designer, editors, production manager, and many others who brought this book to life? Borrow and/or buy the book, ask your local bookstore/library to purchase copies, and share your review of the book online.
It’s autumn in Spooky Isle and time for the annual Night Festival. Al enters the festival’s cooking competition, but isn’t sure what to cook, so Batcat and Al go in search of advice from the Isle’s other residents.
The story has a low-stakes conflict with a lot of great moments that touch on new experiences, making choices, and dealing with stress, disappointment, and excitement.
Ramm really excels at humor with jokes that will please both child and adult readers.
The illustrations are super fun. There is a lot of movement on the page, and bold color choices work well with the high-energy story. Its always clear which order panels should be read.
The double-page spread of the Night Festival is fabulous. There are so many creative details (dunk tank, rides, and an amazing setup with graham crackers and marshmallows) that readers will spot when they spend time exploring the spread.
A special shout-out to letterer Chris Dickey. The text was super clean, easy to read, and most pleasing to the eye.
Back matter includes:
A yummy recipe
Information about drawing sound effects.
Overall, an excellent graphic novel. I hope Ramm continues with this series.
I’d recommend this to readers who enjoyed:
The Great Puptective graphic novel series by Alina Tysoe
Wombats graphic novel series by Maddie Frost
Spirited graphic novel series by Liv Livingston and Glass House Graphics
Garlic graphic novel series by Bree Paulsen
Other people whose hard work made this graphic novel a success:
Editor: Charlotte Greenbaum
Designer: Andrea Miller
Managing Editor: Marie Oishi
Production Manager: Maggie Moore
Letterer: Chris Dickey
Flatter: Mariya Juni
Cover illustration: Meggie Ramm
Cover design: Andrea Miller
Series: Batcat
Published by: Abrams Fanfare
Publication date: April 22, 2025
Pages: 96
Ages: 6-9
Want to support the writer/artist, letterer, flatter, designer, editors, production manager, and many others who brought this book to life? Borrow and/or buy the book, ask your local bookstore/library to purchase copies, and share your review of the book online.
July 21, 2025
I haven’t met Meggie Ramm (yet), but I feel destined to get along with such an awesome creative who dreamt up a fantastical story about a BatCat with a seemingly bottomless stomach who is convinced they can win Fest-i-Fool eating contest while their ghost best friend Al, a talented home chef, enters the Night Festival’s cooking contest with the deepest desire to win. The latest in the three-book-so-far series, Meggie Ramm’s BatCat Cooking Contest! is a master class in comics and storytelling. From the intentional paneling for optimal page turns to the chef’s-kiss use of tracking lines, this hilarious story full of heart (and a little heartburn) and a lot of burping is so good you will be coming back for seconds, make that tenths, even if you aren’t one of the Griffin’s chicks. Marketed for early readers, I think the BatCat series will delight comic fans of all ages and serve as a mentor text to all cartoonists.
July 19 from 12-1 at the Downtown Toledo Library, Meggie and I will be in conversation about their comics journey! I hope you can join us! Link to more information can be found in my Stories!
Update: since writing this review, I have met Meggie and they are wonderful. And the Comic Arts Fest at the Toledo Library went swimmingly!
May 3, 2025
'Are you staying with me because you're sad, or because you physically can't move?'
'I'm sad because I can't move.'
Not as immediate of a fave as with the previous two since it doesn't have a lot of the humor that I have come to love and expect from the series but still, a very heartwarming story. BATCAT, ILY
In the third volume, Al enters the annual Night Festival's cooking contest mainly because he just wants to win something and Batcat enters the Fest-I-Fool to eat and eat so a lot of the volume is just them cooking and/or eating. It was hilarious when they went to the Island Witch and Billy and Bonesy, though and again, the festival and its aftermath were nothing short of heartwarming.
The art continues to be immaculate and I found those drawings of just what's inside Al and Batcat stomachs so funny and accurate
Favorite quotes:
'I want to cook something spectacular to wow the pants off of everyone!'
'Consider my pants already wowed off since I'm not wearing any.'
*pantsless*
'You've helped me so much in the past two books.'
'The what?'
'I'm sad because I can't move.'
Not as immediate of a fave as with the previous two since it doesn't have a lot of the humor that I have come to love and expect from the series but still, a very heartwarming story. BATCAT, ILY
In the third volume, Al enters the annual Night Festival's cooking contest mainly because he just wants to win something and Batcat enters the Fest-I-Fool to eat and eat so a lot of the volume is just them cooking and/or eating. It was hilarious when they went to the Island Witch and Billy and Bonesy, though and again, the festival and its aftermath were nothing short of heartwarming.
The art continues to be immaculate and I found those drawings of just what's inside Al and Batcat stomachs so funny and accurate
Favorite quotes:
'I want to cook something spectacular to wow the pants off of everyone!'
'Consider my pants already wowed off since I'm not wearing any.'
*pantsless*
'You've helped me so much in the past two books.'
'The what?'
April 6, 2025
Batcat: Cooking Contest! reunites the lovable Batcat and his friend Al the ghost for their third adventure in the Batcat series. Colorful, fun, and food-filled, this story, set on Spooky Isle, celebrates all things fall. From gourd-filled gardens to psychedelic-looking mushroom forests, anything ‘spooky’ about Spooky Isle is tempered by the humorous patter of Batcat and Al, respectively attempting to win the eating and cooking contests at the annual Night Festival. Panels feature busy backdrops, zany montages, and an unconventional red-orange-purple palette. Themes center on friendship and finding the courage to face your fears. A recipe for Al’s nachos is included in the backmatter. Batcat is a non-binary character, using they/them pronouns (their dual identities as a bat and a cat are challenged by other characters throughout the first book in the series). Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
August 11, 2025
This was SO CUTE, and thoroughly enjoyable! I had no clue this was number three in a series, but it hardly mattered. I loved the autumnal setting, and the fact that there is both a cooking, AND an eating contest. I wish there was a NIGHT FEST in my town, even if it was attended by some spooky-looking characters.
Ramm's artwork is SCRUMPTIOUS! And, the nacho recipe looks YUMMY!
Ramm's artwork is SCRUMPTIOUS! And, the nacho recipe looks YUMMY!
August 12, 2025
This will be my last Batcat book. While I enjoyed the first one, the rest haven't felt as good.
Too much fourth wall breaking in the last 2 books, and genderizing the blob just doesn't work.
There is a time and place for gender identity conversations, but this isn't it. The author could have left Batcat as is - a pink blob that's half bat and half cat, without giving it any gender - and it would have been perfect. We don't always need a label for something. Just let things be as they are.
Too much fourth wall breaking in the last 2 books, and genderizing the blob just doesn't work.
There is a time and place for gender identity conversations, but this isn't it. The author could have left Batcat as is - a pink blob that's half bat and half cat, without giving it any gender - and it would have been perfect. We don't always need a label for something. Just let things be as they are.
December 11, 2025
I love this series. The kids love this series. Batcat continues to charm and humor everyone!
In this MG graphic novel, autumn has come to Spooky Isle, and that means a big festival. Al the ghost enters into the cooking contest (with much trepidation) and Batcat enters the eating contest. I loved all the parallels between the character's trials and tribulations (emotional vs. physical). Also all the food!
LGBT+ rep: both Al and Batcat use gender neutral pronouns
In this MG graphic novel, autumn has come to Spooky Isle, and that means a big festival. Al the ghost enters into the cooking contest (with much trepidation) and Batcat enters the eating contest. I loved all the parallels between the character's trials and tribulations (emotional vs. physical). Also all the food!
LGBT+ rep: both Al and Batcat use gender neutral pronouns
March 23, 2025
Absolutely fantastic in every way. <3
Just when I thought Batcat couldn't get any better ;)
Meggie's humor and fantasy world is perfect for anyone of any age.
Do yourself a solid. Pick yourself up a copy of this book (and all the previous Batcat books) you won't be disappointed. :)
Just when I thought Batcat couldn't get any better ;)
Meggie's humor and fantasy world is perfect for anyone of any age.
Do yourself a solid. Pick yourself up a copy of this book (and all the previous Batcat books) you won't be disappointed. :)
June 1, 2025
This is so cute. Batcat and Al are adorable. I love that Batcat makes references to the previous books much to Al's confusion. Al is my favourite here, his nervousness when it comes to the cooking contest and it is so sweet when Batcat gives him the apron. Loved it.
August 1, 2025
Time for the Fall Festival!
Batcat and Al are both excited. Al is going to enter the cooking contest. Batcat is thrilled to hear there is an eating contest.
But what will Al cook? And is it possible for Batcat to eat too much?
Batcat and Al are both excited. Al is going to enter the cooking contest. Batcat is thrilled to hear there is an eating contest.
But what will Al cook? And is it possible for Batcat to eat too much?
February 21, 2025
Review submitted to School Library Journal for publication in the upcoming Fiction SMS article.
May 12, 2025
I love Batcat so much. This volume is all about trying your best and feeling your feelings. There's even a recipe for Al's nachos in the back! 10/10 no notes.
June 11, 2025
Another wonderful Batcat! I loved seeing them help Al and the rich world around them coming alive for the night festival.
June 27, 2025
More fun and cuteness from Batcat and their ghost pal Al.
June 30, 2025
4.75/5 stars
Oh my goodness, this was so cute! This was the best in the series so far.
Oh my goodness, this was so cute! This was the best in the series so far.
July 12, 2025
I continue to adore Batcat and their spooky world
January 11, 2026
I love Batcat!! All three in this series are excellent reads.
November 14, 2025
The Food Network needs to pick this up ASAP
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews