The Spectacular Space Loop
by Author-illustrator Javi De Castro
Interest age: 6 to 9
Reading age: 7+
Published by Flying Eye Books, 2026
About this book
When Cosmo's new jetpack explodes in a test, he's stranded in space by himself. But this is a space populated by planets, aliens, destroyers, magicians, sewer mutants and a friendly, slightly egg-like creature - and so Cosmo begins a thrilling wacky adventure. Can he find his way back to his spaceship and his friends?
This innovative comic book, or graphic novel, is highly original because the reader reaches the end of the book when only halfway through the story, and they have to flip it over and read it upside down. The story is all told in dialogue - differently coloured to differentiate which way up - and the pictures have been cleverly drawn so that the scene is different when upside down. It doesn't feel like the same story backwards, it feels impressively fresh. This is the author-illustrator's first book for children, though he has been creating graphic novels and webcomics for years.
A brilliant introduction to comics for younger readers that will have them thinking visually, as well as what the text is telling them. Fresh and original.
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Graphic novels (comic-strip books) for beginner readers
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