Cat Ninja: Welcome to the ‘Burbs, all-age graphic novel action early elementary

Cat Ninja is an elementary-aged graphic novel series that runs with glee towards ages eight and up, all but taunting them not to read it. Welcome to the ‘Burbs is the fourth entry into the Cat Ninja world and is as much fun as one would expect from a graphic novel that’s brave enough to be called that.

Seriously, think of four things that eight-year-olds enjoy or want to talk about and it’s guaranteed that two of them are ninjas and cats. It’s a reluctant reader’s paradise if you’re able to make a book or graphic novel about ninja cats, or in this case, Cat Ninja.

If that hero sounds familiar to your elementary school student it’s because they’ve been reading Cat Ninja in Epic! on their computers at school. Granted, they can read thousands of books or graphic novels on Epic! not just at school, but anywhere there’s a device….so anywhere. Cat Ninja made the leap to physical graphic novels and has been keeping leisure reading safe for those ages since 2020. Whether kids come for the cat and stay for the ninja or vice versa, it’s a funny, sci-fi, action-filled graphic novel that has as much heart as it does movement. Plus, because it’s a cat who’s a ninja, it’s a graphic novel that kids will actually want to read.

Cat Ninja is a known hero in the area where he lives. He was raised by a ninja master and now, when he’s not in costume, he’s just Claude, a mild-mannered house cat who’s looking for a sunny spot on the floor. The kids in his human family know his secret, toss in Adonis-a robot dog who is his friend, and a hamster named Mr. Squeaks-who used to be a villain but is now a partner of sorts with Claude.

The gang is spending some time away from Metro City with their human’s dad in the suburbs. It’s a quiet neighborhood so it might be a futile search for someone to help by Cat Ninja, but he goes out anywhere. His silence doesn’t last long. He discovers a skateboard and rips the sidewalk to burn off some energy. Mr. Squeaks is happy visiting the area but has an odd feeling about the creepy-looking fish that was given to them by one of the neighbors. Is it possible that the fish has more to it than meets its bulbous, sad eyes?

Adonis can fly. Mr. Squeaks gets taken prisoner in an underground lair. The kids have a challenging time making new friends. Is it possible that Cat Ninja or Claude, can solve all of these problems without turning into a 10-foot monster cat and enraging old foes?

You get the point. Cat Ninja is fun. It’s a wacky all-ages graphic novel series that’s mandatory in elementary school libraries. Those ages have been seeing it for years on Epic! and now they can physically touch the pages, share the books, and grin as they imagine a crime-fighting ninja cat. Welcome to the ‘Burbs is just that graphic novel cup of tea that’ll get second graders and up realizing that they can read longer, more complex stories than the simple chapter books that they might be being given.

Cat Ninja: Welcome to the ‘Burbs is the fourth book in the series and is by Matthew Cody, illustrated by Chad Thomas and Warren Wucinich, and available by Andrews McMeel Publishing, distributed by Simon & Schuster.

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