Super Pancake

Super Pancake #1

by Megan Wagner Lloyd, Abhi Alwar (Illustrator)

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a . . . pancake? Here is a delightfully clever and endearingly funny graphic novel about a pancake named Peggy, who accidentally develops superhero abilities and must defend her home of Breakfast Town.

Life in Breakfast Town is pretty uneventful for Peggy Pancake. Her parents are always on her case, she's stuck in her perfect brother's shadow, and she just can't seem to avoid the Bacon Bullies at school. That is until one day, after an accidental mixup, Peggy finds herself with superhero abilities. . . . Now Peggy can flip! She can fight! She can FLY!

With the help of her new friend, Luc Croissant, Peggy must master her newfound skills. But danger is lurking in the Maple Mountains, where the evil Dr. Breakfast Sandwich and his wicked Henchtoasts are plotting something sinister. Can Peggy harness her powers and save all that is dear? Find out SUPER PANCAKE!

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

176 pages, Hardcover

Published February 14, 2023

About the author

Megan Wagner Lloyd is the writer of the kids' graphic novels ALLERGIC and SQUISHED, co-created with illustrator Michelle Mee Nutter, and the SUPER PANCAKE series, co-created with illustrator Abhi Alwar. She's also the author of HAVEN: A SMALL CAT'S BIG ADVENTURE, and several picture books. She lives with her family in the Washington DC area.

Sign up for her newsletter: meganwagnerlloyd.com
Find her on Instagram: @meganwagnerlloyd

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely going to be a graphic novel that kids are going to love. 3.5 Stars

Super Pancake is a cute and charming middle grade graphic novel that takes place in a breakfast town and follows Peggy pancake who has trouble fitting in with family. While her brother seems to be perfect, Peggy continues to fail to meet their expectations. After defending a croissant from some bacon bullies, Peggy is intentionally given a secret potion as retaliation in hopes that it will make her sick. Instead it gives her super powers. As she learns more about her powers, she ends up having to battle a super evil breakfast sandwich to save the town.

What I will say is that kids are going to eat this up (get it? lol because it takes place in a breakfast town). It's definitely not as strong as Allergic, but it has this whimsical and silly vibe that kids typically enjoy in books. While I wasn't as invested in this story, I did find it to be fun and also caught myself laughing out loud a few times. The combination of the food puns and all the foodie characters made for a interesting plot and character development. I wasn't the biggest fan of the artwork, but I loved the coloring on this title. With Lloyd already having a well established reputation because of Allergic I won't be surprised to see this one get similar traction. I'm looking forward to seeing what the next story will look like in this series.

[christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much humor and friendship packed into this fun story with amazing breakfast-inspired world-building! I loved the messages, kindness is a superpower :)

[Anna Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A treasure!! So delightful!

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super Pancake
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.57/10 overall

Characters - 7

Atmosphere - 7

Writing - 6

Plot - 6

Intrigue - 7

Logic - 6

Enjoyment - 7

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was fine, but not my personal favorite. Do I think kids will like it? Probably. The silliness and breakfast puns might be great for some kids. I didn't love the dynamic with the parents and the fight with the bullies, but that's probably me just being old and boring. Debating whether I will bring this one on school visits--I think the cover will draw a lot of kids in, but not sure I can talk it up with the proper amount of enthusiasm. I would recommend it in-library to fans of Dog Man, for sure.

[Maleeha Siddiqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, this was too darn cute. Breakfast puns for days. This is a fantastic choice to introduce to first time graphic novel readers. My daughter is almost 6 and she could read it by herself.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded to 4 because kids are going to gobble this up!

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed the rumble with the homage to Batman 66, it did not make up for the snoozer this book was.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peggy Pancake is just trying to survive and be more responsible. She’s not very good at getting to school or back home on time, and she doesn’t know how to fix it. She’s also facing bullies at school. When the Bacon Bullies try to make her ill by spiking her lunch with a mystery beaker, they inadvertently turn her into a superhero and it comes back to haunt them when she saves the new kid Luc from them after school. Little does Peggy know this puts her on the radar of the evil Dr. Breakfast Sandwich who wants her super powers.

This just felt like an average superhero origin story to me, but with breakfast foods as the main characters. It was ok, but not astounding or anything. I think I wanted more growth in responsibility from Peggy in this book, and though she inches in that direction she doesn’t demonstrate it to her parents yet.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: Some mild fights between Peggy and bad guys. No one is seriously injured. It’s very cartoon style.
Ethnic diversity: N/A characters are breakfast foods with no ethnic flavors.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Bullying is dealt with in ways that are recommended (standing up to them and saying “hey stop it” and such).

[Tarsila Krüse · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Breakfast Town, Peggy Pancake is feeling a bit down. With a perfect brother, demanding parents, and relentless Bacon bullies at school, her life seems anything but thrilling. But everything changes when Peggy is pranked and discovers she has astonishing superpowers! She can flip, fight, and even fly!

In the company of her brand new friend Luc Croissant, they dive into mastering her extraordinary abilities, but beware! Evil lurks! Dr. Breakfast Sandwich and his Henchtoasts, are desperate to uncover Peggy’s secret!

Can Peggy embrace her powers and become the hero she was always meant to be? With laughter, friendship, and action on every page, "Super Pancake" is a lovely tale of growing up and finding one’s place in the world. A delightful treat for children who crave fun stories and graphic narratives.

Recommended for ages 7-10

[Whimsical · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son asked me to read this after he completed it because he knew I would enjoy it and I definitely did! The art in here is so simple and fun. My 8 year old self would be drawing scenes from the book for fun.

Great story about kindness to others. It is pretty heavy on the kindness theme that an older or more mature reader could find that cheesy. As a mom, it is nice to see the theme repeated in our books to make sure we are mindful of ourselves.

I'd recommend this book for independent readers around 8-12 years old. However, as a read aloud I would introduce it to any kid younger who wants to sit down and listen/look at it.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Throwing punches is NOT an acceptable way to stand up to bullies. I also didn't like that this book suggested that obeying your parents is "being who they want you to be." You can still have your own personality while also obeying their rules, which usually involve being respectful and help you to grow up into a decent person. 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️ If she would have obeyed her parents and gone home for the family picture, her friend never would have gotten kidnapped. Staying out all night and not telling your parents where you are is not okay. If this book didn't have such bad morals sprinkled throughout, it would have been pretty good.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Megan Wagner Lloyd has launched the first of this series of intermediate graphic novels. The main character is a pancake named Peggy and she lives in a world of animated breakfast foods including her family of other pancakes. The book starts with Peggy taming a group of Bacon bullies. She befriends a croissant named Luc and uses newly obtain superpowers to help others. Readers will enjoy her breakfast world characters and their adventures.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super Pancake

This book is about a girl named Peggy, who lives in a breakfast world, she always have a hard time trying to live her own life, and not being perfect to her parents, she's always late, but her brothers always perfect. Peggy is the main protagonist, she gets bullied by the bacon boys, and then makes a friend, but she discovers new found powers, and plans to defeat a villian a PB&J one. Will she be able to defeat him, or will she not?

[Kate4900 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Super pancake fell super flat after Allergic. I’m curious of the conversations between editors when this book was published. It had plot-line gaps, bullies who were forgiven without explanation, heroic skills attributed to a secret potion rather than acquired through practice and fighting was used for for conflict resolution. While it provides opportunities to analyze text and character choice, it’s not a great choice for an independent read for young students.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, unique graphic novel. I liked that the main character was a pancake. Her parents were kinda iffy though, comparing her to her brother. I liked that that one Bacon Bully decided to be nice and become friends with them in the end. I am interested to see where this series ends up. The rhyming was a little annoying though. What bullies would take the time to look in a dictionary and find rhymes?

[Sawyer Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has spoilers if you dont want spoilers stop here, Super Pancake makes a friend named Luk he is a crosont She dont know she can fly luk falls she flys she caught luk and landed safely, He said Wow you a super hero how did you get the powers, she said she didnt know so she started flying she got spotted. It is silly and Food related 😋 it is fictional but it's relatable in the same way so it is a good book because of those ways. Hope you injoy the food read!!!

[Karrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate the crude crayon look where it looks like a little kid drew it. It seems really lazy. I hated it as a kid as well. Also the inconsistent spacing and lettering made me crazy. You can make a quality kid’s book without making it look like a child drew it. They don’t want to see junky either. Especially when I’ve seen the authors author works.

[Brett Curtiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story for kids

Very creative and also fun it’s looks very cool that she drinks a magical potion and gets superpowers no bad things about this book perfect book if they make more friends the longer she has superpowers that would be great the friends the merrier but I think they should have made it a little longer because it was kinda short.

[Shirley Ng-Benitez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun read, and packed full of adventure and funny side details. I enjoyed getting to know the heros and villains of Breakfast Town, and look forward to more adventures for Peggy & Luc and the whole gang.

[Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the book so first when you read the first page you know she sleeps in and her brother Patrick is on time but one day she gets sick and she gets the powers of a super hero and she saves a scientist and her best friend luc (Luke) croissant.

[Karen Duvall · Rating 5 out of 5]

My seven year old LOVED this book! She's in 2nd grade and in between picture and starter chapter books, so these have been great to keep her reading. As huge fans of the Sir French Toast and Lady Pancake series, this did not disappoint. Hope there are more books to come!

[Esmeralda Vara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet Read!

It's such a fun graphic novel with characters like the two villain french toast called the henchtoasts. Follow pancake Peggy as she discovers she might be more super than she thought. Her life at Breakfast Town evolves. This is a fast and easy read. Highly recommend.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, quick story. The illustrations and story are more juvenile than her first graphic novel, Allergic. More like Dog Man, but better - with positive messaging. And some long words thrown in for good measure. The kids at school will love it!

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and feel my 9-year-old will love it, too. I liked the different characters, how the one bacon didn't want to be a bully but was stuck, and how they helped him. Kids can reflect since the characters are food and not boxed into humans/stereotypes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. I know a lot of this is that I'm not the target audience but I found this one meh. It's cute- I'm sure kids will love it. It is a good option for beginning readers since there is a lot of repetition but I have no desire to read the others in the series.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This graphic novel was such a fun read. I loved the drawings and how the cute plot line. This story is perfect for young readers looking to get into reading or those that just want a light-hearted story.

[Michele Knott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another superhero graphic novel, but this time the hero is... a pancake from Breakfast Town :) Sure to be a fun series for readers.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The puns made me laugh and the action will hook kids.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great breakfast food puns!