June 26, 2006
superheros redeemed
For the past, oh, probably two years, Henry has been fascinated by superheros. And by “fascinated” I mean “obsessed.” My house is strewn with superhero action figures, our playdates consist of pretending to be various members of the League of Justice, and dinner conversation revolves around which hero has what power and how he might use it. Charlie likes to mix it up by announcing that he prefers the bad guys, and frankly I’m starting to sympathize with him. Those superheros are driving me berserk.
Fortunately, Wade is always on the lookout for ways to redeem himself (he’s the one who started the whole damn superhero thing) and a week or so ago, he came across The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed, by William Boniface. It’s the story of Ordinary Boy, a ten-year-old resident of Superopolis, “Where everyone is exceptional! (And we mean that in a good way).” All the residents of Superopolis are superheros, except Ordinary Boy, who is, as his name implies, ordinary: “everyone here, except for me, has a superpower. The thing is, though, they only have one power. You won’t find some guy who can fly and has X-ray vision and is strong enough to lift a truck. It just doesn’t work that way. Sadly, just as with looks, talent, and brains, the powers that people end up with are hardly equal.” Like all boys his age, Ordinary Boy is searching for something to set him apart from all the other kids in his grade. Unfortunately, when your friends have super strength and the ability to change into bubbling ectoplasm, this is quite a challenge.
This is an incredibly smart and funny book. Boniface deploys all the conventions of the superhero narrative–the evil villain who consistently fails to exploit the hero’s weakness, for example–in a way that is accessible to young readers. He also mocks those conventions, but with great kindness. Ordinary Boy carries his L’il Heroes Handbook with him at all times; it not only tells him the names and powers of all of Superopolis’s residents, but provides the addresses of the secret hideouts of all the city’s super villains.
That information comes in handy when Ordinary Boy and his friends set out to solve a mystery: why is it so hard to get all 64 of the Amazing Indestructo collector cards? Of course, in their search for the missing card, Ordinary Boy and his friends uncover a great and sinister plot to . . . well, you’ll have to read the book. But I will say this: the story is predictable enough to be fun for young readers but clever enough to be engaging for their parents. A good deal all around.
Boniface does a good job of skewering the conventions of the superhero narrative, but he also mocks the conventions of marketing, particularly marketing directed at children. When Superopolis’s greatest superhero, the Amazing Indestructo, recommends McCavity’s Ultra-Paste, Ordinary Boy says, “I never used to like their toothpaste because it sticks to your teeth and sort of tastes like mushrooms, but if AI recommended it, I would have to give it another try.” I found this part of the story absolutely hysterical, because we have the ENTIRE line of tie-in Batman toys for a television series my children don’t even watch. And I hate those poorly made pieces of junk with a passion.
I can’t say enough good things about this novel; it is well written and funny and smart. Ordinary Boy, of course, turns out to have powers his friends don’t, like good critical thinking skills, and despite his lack of conventional superpowers, only he can outsmart the villain. Unlike the other superhero books my kids tend to pick up–all of which are movie or TV tie-ins–this one has a good message and enjoyable prose. Honestly, I will be sad when we’re done reading it.
I’m already waiting for the sequal.
Posted by Susan @ 3:19 pm • Uncategorized
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June 26th, 2006 at 5:29 pm, Jack's Raging Mommy Says:
Thank you thank you thank you!
Caleb is an ultra-mega-super hero fan and if I can tempt him with a book instead of another video I consider that good step-momming on my part.
I love you!
June 26th, 2006 at 6:21 pm, Jenorama Says:
Oh, honey, I think I need to send Blogging Baby people here to read this. Thank you. That is, right after I go and buy my own copy…
June 27th, 2006 at 2:20 am, The Daring One Says:
Thanks for the heads up. I’m not there yet but I’m sure I will be. Do you also have an antedote for Princess syndrome?
June 27th, 2006 at 4:09 am, Mary P. Says:
There are no super-hero addicts in my household, praise be, but I think I’ll get the book anyway! Sounds like fun.
June 27th, 2006 at 12:02 pm, desiree Says:
That is a lovely book report. It has actually persuaded me enough to go out and read it in anticipation of my 2 year old niece needing good book recomendations.
De-lurking because I quite like the site.
June 27th, 2006 at 12:23 pm, Nina Says:
Cai isn’t big enough yet for that book, but I’m buying it for myself with the excuse that I can read it to him later. =) Thanks! You should make these book recommendations a regular thing.
June 27th, 2006 at 8:59 pm, Kristen Says:
This does sound like a great book, a great concept actually…
June 27th, 2006 at 11:51 pm, MommyWithAttitude Says:
Oooh, thanks for the recommendation. No one is obsessed with superheroes here yet, because we can’t seem to get past Scooby Doo right now. But something to look forward to…