Review Detail

Written like a graphic novel, Down in the Dumps: The Mystery Box is a cute story about friendship and adventure.
My kids were not a fan of the illustrations, as they are all greyscale and just did not hold their interest well - but they are highly detailed and fun, otherwise.
I enjoy the writing style of the Harper Chapter books; the comic book/graphic novel stylization is fun and easy to follow. The font makes it easy for children to follow along and read aloud, as there isn't much chance for the letters to run into one another. The achievement acknowledgement at the end of the chapters is a fun little bonus and helps get children excited about reading.
The friendship-adventure plot was great. Even though it was new and scary, Nana and the gang knew they had to help their new friend, Teddy, get out of the dump - as he really wasn't trash, and made several new friends along the way.