In the first book of the series, an ordinary grandmother is hit by a strange beam that gives her superpowers, inspiring her to fight crime and go on adventures.
The books inspired a TV series that debuted in 1985.
Super Gran provides examples of:
- All for Nothing: Super Gran Rules OK focuses on Super Gran protecting the advanced vehicle the Skimmer from assorted criminal groups trying to steal it; the following book, Super Gran Superstar, reveals that while she was busy capturing them someone else stole the Skimmer, although it would appear that the final thief was just a random crook.
- Heel–Face Turn: Tub starts out as a reluctant assistant to one of the villains before switching allegiances to Super Gran.
- I Am Big Boned: Tub is on the large side, but tells anybody who brings it up that "It's not fat, it's muscle". The disclaimer is so firmly ingrained that when, at the end of the book, somebody remarks on his muscular physique, his mouth says "It's not muscle, it's fat" before his brain catches up.
- No Communities Were Harmed: Super Gran is Magic has Super Gran visiting various thinly-disguised Butlins holiday camps in thinly-disguised British seaside resorts with names like Slackpool.
- Phony Psychic: Mystico the Magician in Super Gran is Magic has a mind-reading act, but it keeps going wrong because his Lovely Assistant always mixes up the secret signals.
- The Problem with Pen Island: In Super Gran is Magic, Mystico the Magician went cheap for the signwork on his van, which as a result proclaims the presence of MY STICO THE MAGIC IAN. Super Gran's young sidekicks spend a while wondering who "Magic Ian" is and what kind of thing his stico might be.
- Radish Cure: Basically featured by accident in Super Gran Rules OK; Super Gran regularly had a bowl of porridge for breakfast every day, but when she started having something different while on holiday, it resulted in her starting to lose her powers, prompting Edison to speculate that the porridge helped to keep her super even if it wasn't the source of her powers. She thus recommends Super Gran eat nothing but porridge for the next few days to get her powers to return, culminating in Super Gran coming to hate the taste of porridge but having fortunately eaten enough over the last few days to permanently regain her powers.
- Running Gag:
- Other people being confused when Super Gran uses Scottish dialect words like "scunner".
- Tub insisting that he's not fat.
- Stage Magician: Mystico the Magician in Super Gran is Magic.
