Title: CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE
Author: J.S. Puller
Pub. Date: May 8, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 256
“Have no fear, citizens! Captain Superlative is here to make all troubles disappear!”
Red mask, blue wig, silver swimsuit, rubber gloves, torn tights, high top sneakers and . . . a cape? Who would run through the halls of Deerwood Park Middle School dressed like this? And why?
Janey-quick to stay in the shadows-can’t resist the urge to uncover the truth behind the mask. The answer pulls invisible Janey into the spotlight and leads her to an unexpected friendship with a superhero like no other. Fearless even in the face of school bully extraordinaire, Dagmar Hagen, no good deed is too small for the incomparable Captain Superlative and her new sidekick, Janey.
But superheroes hold secrets and Captain Superlative is no exception. When Janey unearths what’s truly at stake, she’s forced to face her own dark secrets and discover what it truly means to be a hero . . . and a friend.
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Review:
Captain Superlative is the story of Janey, a perfectly ordinary junior high student who’s content to live in the shadows. More than content, actually–it’s what she strives for. She’s been in the spotlight once, as the “poor girl who just lost her mother” and she never wants to be there again, so she floats through school each day, making as few ripples as she can, feeling bad when she witnesses the school bully tormenting her favorite target but not doing anything about it.
But then Captain Superlative shows up, seemingly unfazed by all of the things that scare Janey the most, and her presence both fascinates and terrifies her. Almost before she realizes what is happening, Janey has become the Captain’s sidekick, and together they are making the world a better place for all of the citizens entrusted to their care. But Captain Superlative’s cape and wig and suit hide a pretty big secret, and Janey has to decide for herself how she means to go forward in life. Can she go back to being invisible? Does she even want to ?
I loved watching Janey become a part of the world around her through the course of this book. Some things are left out of the narrative here–Captain Superlative’s actual ending, the bully’s reformation–but that was okay. As a former junior high teacher I still have a hard time believing that every single adult at the school could be totally blind to the other side of the bully–maybe their school was just that much bigger than mine? Still, this is a sweet story with a good message that it manages to tell with out hitting the reader too hard over the head with it. I definitely recommend for classrooms and libraries everywhere.
Just be sure to have tissues handy! Boxes and boxes of them…
Rating: 4 stars / A-
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
About J.S.:
J.S. Puller a playwright and debut author from the Windy City, Chicago. She has a master’s degree in elementary education and a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Northwestern University. She is an award-winning member of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education and is actively involved in researching the social-emotional benefits of arts education with the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. When not writing, she can usually be found in the theatre. Her play, WOMEN WHO WEAVE, was published by Playscripts, Inc.
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Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive a finished copy of CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
4/30/2018- BookHounds YA– Interview
5/1/2018- Two Points of Interest– Review
5/2/2018- RhythmicBooktrovert – Review
5/3/2018- Wonder Struck– Review
5/4/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Excerpt
Week Two:
5/7/2018- Becky on Books– Review
5/8/2018- Beagles and Books– Review
5/9/2018- Ginger Mom and the Kindle Quest– Review
5/10/2018- Novel Novice– Guest Post
5/11/2018- Owl Always Be Reading– Review
The book sounds like a fun and interesting read.