My kids loved the InvestiGators books! I have book 1 & 2 physical copies so they glanced through the book as they listened to the audio. The words don't 100% line up, but they didn't really know (can't read yet) but the pictures went along with the audio well enough that they enjoyed it. They had non-stop laughter the whole time. We can't wait to get more books/audio from this author!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC we really enjoyed it

I can honestly say this was a first for me, as I’ve never listened to a graphic novel before!

Secret agents Mango and Brash are undercover alligator detectives, ready to take on the sewers! These two books each contain a mystery the gators have to solve. Full of fun characters, silly jokes, and a little bit of mystery, my kids loved these books!

There were a lot of fun aspects about these audio books, but I think my favorite was how well the characters and sound effects were done. Each character had a different actor, making it more like a radio drama. I think the creators of The Investigators did an incredible job. I would say the most appropriate ages for these books are 2nd to 4th grade.

Even the sound effects were on par. I give this one five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received these books for free from netgalley in exchange for my honest unbiased opinion.

This was our first time reading books in the InvestiGators series and these were so much fun! Not only for what is clearly brilliant writing of a children's book series, but the narrators were incredibly animated and provided just enough extra detail to make up for not being able to see the pictures of the graphic novels.

Review is for the audio version of books 1 & 2.

4 stars (my 7yo would have said 5 stars, hands down) but I rounded down 1 because it doesn't *exactly* match up to the book. We've been trying to find books that he can follow along with the text and audio as he learns to read and this took him a few chapters to get into the flow without me helping him figure out when it had moved to the next page etc.

That being said, this is an amazing audio production! It was an absolute treat to listen to (even as an adult) and my son spent a solid 2 hours at a stretch sitting and listening, while paging through the book to look at all the pictures. Even without looking at the book, it's easy to envision exactly what's happening and there is lots of extra embellishment to help illustrate what is happening when you aren't able to see the pictures. The full cast is so fun and the sound effects are perfection, as opposed to distracting. We can't wait to listen again and I will definitely be purchasing this one from Audible to listen on repeat!

The idea of an audiobook for a graphic novel has always felt a bit counter-intuitive to me. If your story is told visually, if those visuals are essential to fully convey what is happening, then how can it work to tell it aurally? I've listened to a few now and have learned the keys. First is full cast. Each character needs a distinct voice so we can track what's happening. Second is sound effects. Action can be conveyed with sound. A car starting. The "whoosh" of a parachute or "splat" of a cake. And sometimes the dialogue is tweaked or narration is added to make action and other essential elements clear. This audio makes great use of it's narrator, telling us often what Mango and Brash are doing with humor and tongue firmly planted in cheek. It helps that in the original graphic novels are often break the fourth wall or reference the fact that they are comics. The audio follows these same patterns, with characters talking about the fact that this is an audiobook and colors not especially mattering. It's quite silly and playful. And utterly enjoyable.

Wow ! I am so impressed with this audiobook! My kids were enthralled ! Even my four year old. I am on the hunt for more like this.
The story line is funny, my eight year old daughter is very into the mystery.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing my family access to this in exchange for an honest review

This was a simple cute story for kids that want something that they can follow along with. I would recommend this to like a 4th or 5th grader to read.

The audiobook was fabulous. The narration and sound track really helped make the story great. This felt like an old time radio show. My kids laughed out loud and kept me entertained as well. Great audiobook!!

Note: Since I listened to the InvestiGators Audio Collection that combines the first two books and does not seem to have its own Goodreads entry, this applies to both.

This is so much fun - my favorite genre of books when I was a kid was mysteries, and the punnier, the better. Incognito Mosquito, Amelia Bedelia - anything along those lines. The InvestiGators are the new and improved version - plenty of humor for all ages, with clever mysteries that reward paying attention. The first installment necessarily spends more time establishing the many acronyms and setting the tone, but by the time we get to The InvestiGators Take the Plunge, the pace picks up.

My big question was how this series that relies so much on visual puns and the comic book format would work in audio form. The answer is: even better than the original. The tone is like a mashup of an old-school radio serial and a really well done podcast...and the sound effects and music are an appropriate volume that allows you to still hear the story!

These audio editions are a great complement to the original graphic novels, and I hope the publisher is able to make the investment to adapt the remaining books as well, both for a new way for existing fans to enjoy the stories and as a way to bring in families and kids who struggle with the graphic novel format.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Me: I am normally an audiobook speed reader (2x speed or higher) but the narration was done in a way that made listening at standard speed okay. There were several times where both myself and the kids were laughing.

8 year old: Infinite/5 stars. “My favorite part was all of it”

11 year old: 5/5 stars. I really liked all the montages.

Thank you to NetGalley, John Patrick Green; Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) and provide my honest opinion/review.

ARC audio copy of book 1 & 2 from NetGalley. My 10 yo son and I loved it. We have all the books and love them. These audiobooks brought the characters to life. The cinematic recording or graphic audio vibes perfectly with the book. Also some of the name puns hit better in audio.

Really enjoyed! Great for a road trip and looking forward to more.

This book is so fun! My 3yo enjoyed the story and the narration is great for kiddos. He walked around the house pretending to be an aligator spy. I would say it's probably more appropriate for an older reader but my fella still enjoyed it. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such a fun experience for us! As a mom and her 8-year-old daughter, we loved listening to the adventures of Mango and Brash together. The characters were so funny, and we couldn’t stop giggling at their jokes. The mysteries were just the right mix of clever and silly, which kept us both entertained.

The audio narration made the stories even better, especially with the way the voices brought the characters to life. My daughter enjoyed following along, and we both loved trying to solve the cases before the InvestiGators did. It was a great bonding experience for us, and we can’t wait to listen to the next books in the series.

We give this collection 4 stars for being the perfect blend of humor, adventure, and family-friendly fun!

The audiobooo for this story was well done. The cast did a great job bringing the story to life and making it feel like listening to a cartoon. It is engaging and kept my children’s attention.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook.

Perhaps best listened to with a copy of the book in hand this would be great for reluctant readers or readers who are still working on independent reading as they dive into the silly world of the Investigators created by John Green. Audio production seemed extremely well done to me and I thought you could follow the story quite well in audio only format even though it is audio based on a graphic novel.

This book was fun! Our family is a huge fan of the InvestiGators series and the audiobooks didn’t disappoint! The cast of characters was great and made the story much easier to follow. At times as an adult I felt the book was too over produced, which made chapters feel long. The kids thought this was hilarious though. Great for a long car ride.

These graphic novels are so popular with middle grades readers and even younger readers who listen to a sibling or parent read. Now that there is an audiobook, with a full-cast recording no less, these will be opened up to even more readers to enjoy. My own sons are 5 1/2 and 6 1/2, and I have been hesitant to read graphic novels to them because they tend to take a long time, and require everyone a chance to get to look at all the illustrations. I think graphic novels are a better fit for independent readers. With the audio version of the book, and fantastic audio at that, it is now a story that we can all listen to in the car or when getting ready for bed. This is a hit at our house!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.

🎧“Laugh yourself silly with the InvestiGators! This side-splittingly funny audiobook is perfect for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”

In this delightful audio collection, John Patrick Green introduces us to Mango and Brash, two alligators with an unusual profession: they’re crime-fighting investigators! Narrated by a fantastic full cast, including the author himself, this immersive experience is accompanied by exciting sound effects and snappy music.

InvestiGators: Armed with a moustache and a rolling pin, Mango and Brash go undercover in a bakery. Their mission? To discover who has kidnapped top chef Gustavo and prevent his recipes from falling into the wrong hands. This case isn’t going to be a piece of cake!

InvestiGators: Take the Plunge: The city faces a triple threat—Crackerdile’s return, a robo-ghost haunting the streets, and a man with a snake arm. When a massive flood threatens, Mango and Brash find themselves wrongly blamed. To solve this crime wave, they flush themselves down the toilet, diving deep into the sewers.

Brimming with glorious puns, toilet humor, and pop culture references, Green’s high-energy storytelling keeps young listeners snorting and sniggering.

From Batter Down bakery to S.U.I.T. Headquarters, the audio brings the quirky world of the InvestiGators to life.

Whether you’re a kid or a kid at heart, these gator detectives will have you grinning from ear to ear.

Summary: Mango and Brash aren’t just ordinary alligators. They are the InvestiGators-stopping crime in its tracks!

With high-tech gear, fast-paced action and plenty of boy humor (i.e. farting, peeing, etc.), listeners will follow along as Mango and Brash solve the mysteries of the missing baker, stop a robot on the loose, and save the city from being flooded.

My Thoughts: These books really have a niche audience in my opinion. Basically, they are for younger boys. There’s nothing wrong with that, they just weren’t my cup of tea.

The books do have plenty of action and contain unique characters that I think young boys would enjoy.

The audio production was top-notch with great music, sound effects, and I thought the full cast did a great job as well.

It was a little hard for me to follow along in spots as I have not read the books, but if you have a child that has already enjoyed the books, this audio collection would be the perfect companion.

I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free digital audiobook of this collection in exchange for my review. Thank you.

FULL CAST!! My kids and I have been listening to this on our daily car rides. We drive a lot (over an hour a day most days) and usually the kids want some sort of electronic to help pass the time. This audiobook has engaged them so well, that electronics have been ditched and they are actively listening to this instead. That’s a win. This is entertaining for them and myself. (It’s very similar to a Graphic Audio style audiobook.) We’re already familiar with the books but this medium for reading the story has far surpassed their engagement with the physical books. This series is generally targeted to ages 7-10 or so, in my opinion, and really leans into the age groups’ silly humor preferences. The stories follow 2 gator detectives as they investigate various crimes. The audiobook plays into the old timey detective voice over I think of when thinking about comics and detective stories. I can’t recommend this audiobook (hopefully audio series) enough for this age group. We loved this audiobook and will be looking for more!

Thank you to NetGalley, John Patrick Green, and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook ARC.