Ella Upgraded: Volume 1 : Rebooted

Dan Whitehead brings us an exciting new superhero in Ella Upgraded, Vol 1.

Ella is introduced to the reader as a relatable 11-year-old girl who, in being bored and unchallenged by her daily life, strikes fascination with retro Gameboy-type devices. Her voice is cute yet punchy; with a huge, head-strong personality and drive for adventure, it’s easy to adore her characterisation.

As in all (most?) superhero stories, Ella faces life-changing transformation moment when she walks out in front of a car with her eyes down on a screen. After a sci-fi operation from her genius big brother, Ella comes to realise her full potential: that she can become the character or whichever game is inserted to the back of her neck.

Humorous and full of heart, this graphic novel was a delightful read. I think it’s a key gateway Reading for Pleasure text for KS2 and early KS3. Younger students will love to talk about this text - what games they are playing at home, which character they’d be if they were Ella, what they would do with that character’s skills etc. Fantastic!