The Sticky Rice Caper (Graphic Novel) by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on May 7th 2019
ISBN: 1328495787
Pages: 144
Goodreads

This graphic novel is 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. She still travels all over the world and the show, and this graphic novel, focus on one or two countries peppering facts about them into the dialogue and action. In this case, one of VILE’s agents is in Indonesia so Carmen leaves France and heads to Jakarta to figure out their dastardly plan and stop them. Filled with danger, banter, and gadgets, the GN captures the action of the show and is a nice companion for kids who might want to slow it down and rehash the story (it follows the plot line of episode 3 exactly). Carmen and her team succeed, of course, and inform the reader that they are off to Ecuador for another adventure. The endpapers include additional information about France and Indonesia and a hint for The Fishy Treasure Caper. This is not a must-buy, but it will be popular in collections where readers are familiar with the show and may give kids without the means to watch Netflix an “in” to the conversations about the show. And any book that highlights geography and informs the reader about another part of the world is a good thing.

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