The Fishy Treasure Caper (Graphic Novel) by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on October 1st 2019
ISBN: 1328495795
Pages: 144
Goodreads

The second graphic novel based on the Netflix show which is based on an old computer game “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” The game was created to teach geography skills as Carmen hopped from country to country stealing items. The player was asked geography-related questions to determine where she was. In the Netflix series, Carmen has left a life of crime with VILE (Villains’ International League of Evil) and is determined to thwart them before they can commit crimes. In this book, Carmen is off to Ecuador and the book jumps right into the action as Carmen appears in full scuba gear searching for a sunken ship containing treasure. The treasure in this book is an old doubloon which, it turns out doesn’t have a lot of monetary value, but has cultural significance to the Ecuadorians.  Carmen has plenty of gadgets and a crew to help her navigate her mission and she has VILE operatives to fight. As the VILE villains try to acquire the doubloon, assuming that if Carmen wants it, it must be worth a lot, the reader is introduced to the importance that the fishing industry plays in Ecuador.  Action, decent pacing, and interesting geographical facts combine to make a readable book. This series will be popular in collections where readers are familiar with the show or where readers like adventure stories mixed with a little geography.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Merrill Memorial Library, Yarmouth