September 15, 2022
In a world populated by superheroes, it takes a normal boy to save society. Noah, our energetic narrator, is the only unsuper person in Superworld: A meteor shower slammed into Earth and turned everyone into a superhero; everyone, that is, except him. And on his birthday, too! Even little sister Joy has become Psychlone, named for her twin powers of telekinesis and controlling the weather. The school's curriculum is geared to superhero powers, but luckily librarian Mr. Almaraz helps Noah find refuge in reading. One day genius Hero Leader Professor M�bius warns Noah that the world in in grave danger--and Noah is the only one who can return things to normal. At first Noah turns M�bius down, leading to the unleashing of several loopy superheroes like Hugh-Mongous (his friend Hugh), Granimal (his grandma), and Hairstrike (his friend Tabitha). When Noah finally accepts his destiny, he's guided by the all-knowing M�bius and aided by musclebound sidekick Mantastic. Spoiler alert: Noah prevails. Noah's hyperpaced odyssey is a grab bag of obstacles fueled by nonstop puns and imaginative art that'll keep readers swiftly turning the pages. The stylish, smoky, black-and-white illustrations take up about half of the book, accompanying every action-packed development and frequently involving images of comical crime fighters or Noah floating through space with a wide-eyed expression. Names and illustrations cue some diversity; Noah reads White. Imaginative adventures sure to trigger both giggles and groans. (Illustrated adventure. 9-12)
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November 1, 2022
Grades 4-6 "I'm so sick of superheroes," grumps Noah--and he has reason to as, being the only un-super person in the world after a strange meteorite dubbed the "Super Stone" turned everyone else into a superhero or a supervillain, he's constantly being "rescued" whether he needs to be or not. Worse yet in this series opener, becoming an unwilling pawn in a dastardly scheme to steal the Super Stone leads to a shocking revelation that the line between "hero" and "villain" isn't at all where he thinks it is. The authors bring a background in animated films (Despicable Me) to this luxuriantly illustrated romp, surrounding and embedding nearly every page of Noah's narrative in explosively busy scenes and panels featuring hordes of expertly modeled 3D figures. All but Noah are in elaborate costumes of armor or spandex, including his overprotective parents and evil little sister. Readers may grumble when this hefty episode cuts off abruptly mid-catastrophe, but the teeming cast, not to mention the general premise, are promising enough to interest readers in what comes next.
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