About the Holiday
Sometimes people find it hard to show their true, even quirky parts of themselves when they’re trying to live up to expectations or fit in with a certain crowd. International Being You Day invites everyone to disregard these pressures and celebrate their individuality. The holiday encourages self-acceptance, and the courage to acknowledge and show your real personality, whether that’s flashy or quiet; take part in activities that speak to you, not just the group; and to believe in your own skills and knowledge—to be confident and authentic. Today’s book puts a humorous and ultimately sweetly poignant spin on the holiday.
Thanks to Scholastic for sending me this book for review!
The Mystery of the Lost Cape (The Terrible Trio #3)
Written by Swapna Haddow | Illustrated by Minky Stapleton
Our intrepid friends Zeb the zebra, Marge the penguin, and Barry the lemur have settled into their roles as the most unlikely of superheroes as Zeb’s power is blending in with a crosswalk, Marge can make mac ‘n’ cheese from anything, and Barry has very nice handwriting. It’s tidying up day at their official lair—the Superheroes Café—and Zeb suggests sorting out the dress-up box. Only, it’s not a dress-up box, it’s the Lost-and-Found box, and Barry’s scandalized that Zeb and Marge want to play with other animals’ belongings.
As Barry begins matching items with their possible owners, he finds a polka-dotted cape and just has to try it on. As soon as he ties it around his neck, he begins flying! Barry wants to try it out, but he’s conflicted. If he just borrows it, though, just to see what it’s like to be a real superhero, that would be okay, right? He dons a pair of goggles and soon he’s flying over the city. In no time he helps apprehend a wolf gang of bank robbers.
The “Masked Crusader” is all over the news, and Marge and Zeb can’t stop buzzing about him. They aren’t the only ones obsessed. Barry, himself, can’t seem to let go of his new alter-ego. He takes on just one more mission, then another and another and . . . When Barry finally comes back to the café, Zeb discovers the cape and remembers that Emu is offering a $50,000 reward for its return. He calls—only too late remembering that Emu has two superpowers—flying and butt kicking. Each of our intrepid heroes are afraid of getting their booty kicked, and they skirmish over who should hand over the cape and . . . Riiiiippp!
After Zeb fails to fool Emu with a similar-looking tablecloth, Barry takes the rap. But before he gets his butt kicked, he tells Emu that he only used the cape to become a real superhero like her. Suddenly, Emu breaks down, admitting that she’s only a flying—and butt-kicking—superhero because of the cape. The three are surprised, reminding her that she “almost kicked Barry’s butt a moment ago” without wearing her cape and reassuring her that their butts were all terrified and are “still a bit frightened.” Emu takes their words to heart (and to her booty-kicking feet). She leaves happy and more confident than ever. The whole experience has given Barry a new idea—one that will make use of his true superpower, help their superhero community, and add another offering to the Superhero Café.
In this this third—and final—book in her The Terrible Trio series, Swapna Haddow follows up The Not So Superheroes and The Day the Mac ‘n’ Cheese Ran Out with the equally charming and hilarious The Mystery of the Lost Cape. Haddow’s signature silliness is magnified with clever misdirection and comical cluelessness, and Zeb’s retelling of how the cape got torn is laugh-out-loud funny. Layered with witty running-gag subplots and character arcs, the story pulls them all together in a heartening and satisfying ending.
Loaded with rollicking action and evocative facial expressions as well as favorite comedy and mystery tropes, Minky Stapleton’s incredibly detailed illustrations immerse readers in this world where laughter is their superpower. Stapleton exuberant interactions among these lovable characters will keep readers riveted to this fast-paced story. Her dynamic, easy-to-read text mimics the characters’ quirky dialogue, highlighting emotions through size and special effects.
A joy to read and a winning finish to this standout series, The Mystery of the Lost Cape: The Terrible Trio #3 is a must for graphic novel fan as well as for any library or home collection. This series would make a wonderful gift to start off summer reading or for any occasion.
Ages 7 – 10
Scholastic, 2026 | ISBN 979-8225045043
About the Author
Swapna Haddow grew up in the UK and wrote her first book at age eight. She wishes she’d kept it, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to trade it for two stickers and a couple of marbles! Her first published book was the hilarious junior novel Dave Pigeon, which grew into a laugh-out-loud, award-winning series. She has since written many funny, colourful, and much-loved picture books as well as further junior fiction series. Swapna loves to write stories filled with boisterous animals causing mayhem, with friendship and humour consistently at the heart of her work. Swapna now lives in Dunedin, New Zealand, with her husband, son, and their dog. Her first homegrown tall tale with Scholastic New Zealand is But Then… the almost true story of an overdue book. Visit her at swapnahaddow.com.
About the Illustrator
Minky Stapleton is a multi-faceted illustrator with a range of styles, all with a dash of humour. An award-winning Art Director and Creative Director originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Minky gave up advertising to follow her first love, illustration. She now resides in Auckland, New Zealand, where she balances illustration projects with running classes for kids on how to design scary monsters. Minky has illustrated many titles for Scholastic, from hilarious picture books to historical fiction and high-energy, heavily illustrated junior fiction. Visit her at minkystapleton.com.
International Being You Day Activities
The Terrible Trio Coloring Pages and More
You can find lots of The Terrible Trio activity pages for kids to enjoy, including coloring pages, drawing pages, a page for finding your own superpower and animal, and Marge’s Mac ‘n’ Cheese recipe to download on Swapna Haddow’s website!
The Mystery of the Lost Cape Teachers Guide
Teachers, homeschoolers, and other educators can find an exciting and detailed Teacher’s Guide developed by Scholastic that’s full of comprehension questions and fun, thoughtful activities for individuals or a whole class on Swapna Haddow’s website.
You can purchase The Mystery of the Lost Cape (The Terrible Trio #3) from these booksellers
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop
Picture Book Review
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