Publisher Description
In these hilarious stories by some of the top authors of middle grade fiction today, each young character is coping with a minor superpower—while also discovering their power to change themselves and their community, find their voice, and celebrate what makes them unique.
The kids in these humorous short stories each have a minor superpower they’re learning to live with. One can shape-shift—but only part of her body, and only on Mondays. Another can always tell whether an avocado is perfectly ripe. One can even hear the thoughts of the animals in the pet store! But what these stories are really about is their young protagonists “owning” a power that contributes to their individuality, that allows them to find their place in the world, that shows them a potential they might not have imagined.
Because if you really think about it, we all have something special and unique about ourselves that makes us a little bit super. We all have the power to change as an individual, to change our communities for the better, to have a voice and to speak up. These playful, thought-provoking tales from some of today’s top middle grade authors prompt readers to consider what their own superpower might be, and how they can use it.
Written by Pablo Cartaya, Nikki Grimes, Leah Henderson, Jarrett Krosoczka, Remy Lai, Kyle Lukoff, Meg Medina, Daniel Nayeri, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, Pam Muñoz Ryan, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Young, and Ibi Zoboi; coedited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt.
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About the Authors
Daniel Nayeri is the author of several books for young readers, including the highly acclaimed, multi-award-winning novel Everything Sad Is Untrue. He is the publisher of Odd Dot, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, where he oversees a team of designers, editors, and inventors creating joyful books for curious minds. He was born in Iran and spent several years as a refugee before immigrating to Oklahoma at age eight with his family.
Jarrett J. Krosoczka is the author and illustrator of several picture books and middle-grade graphic novels. His Hey, Kiddo was a finalist for the National Book Award. His award-winning books have also grabbed the attention of Hollywood.
Meg Medina is the author of The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind and the picture book Tía Isa Wants a Car, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award. She is also a voice talent and audiobook narrator.
Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of many books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and the Newbery Honor book The Wednesday Wars. He is a professor of English at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Linda Sue Park is the author of the Newbery Medal book A Single Shard, many other novels, several picture books, and a book of poetry.
Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, as well as the novels Jazmin’s Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris, all of them Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. She won the Coretta Scott King Author Award for Bronx Masquerade. She lives in Corona, California.
Mitali Perkins is the author of Rickshaw Girl, a New York Public Library Top 100 Book; Tiger Boy, a Junior Library Guild selection; and You Bring the Distant Near, among other novels. Mitali was born in Kolkata, India, and has lived in Bangladesh, India, England, Thailand, Mexico, Cameroon, and Ghana. She resides in San Francisco, where she is a lecturer at Saint Mary’s College of California.
Pam Muñoz Ryan is the recipient of the NEA’s Human and Civil Rights Award and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature. She has written more than thirty books which have garnered, among countless accolades, the Pura Belpré Medal, the Jane Addams Award, and the Schneider Family Award. She lives near San Diego.
Pablo Cartaya graduated with an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. He serves as lead faculty at Sierra Nevada College’s low residency MFA program for Writing for Children and Young Adults. He writes stories that reflect his family, culture, and love of words.
Ibi Zoboi is an author whose novel American Street was a National Book Award finalist and a New York Times Notable Book. She is also the author of Pride and My Life As an Ice Cream Sandwich, a New York Times bestseller. She is the editor of the anthology Black Enough. She holds an MFA degree from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey. You can find her online at www.ibizoboi.net.
Remy Lai studied fine arts, with a major in painting and drawing. She was born in Indonesia, grew up in Singapore, and lives in Brisbane, Australia, where she writes and draws stories for kids with her two dogs by her side. Pie in the Sky is her debut middle-grade novel. Follow Remy on Twitter @Remy_Lai
Kyle Lukoff is the author of the Stonewall Award winner When Aidan Became a Brother and A Storytelling of Ravens. While becoming a writer, he worked as a bookseller and school librarian. He lives in New York City and hopes you're having a nice day.
Brian Young, author and filmmaker, is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation. He grew up on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. He earned his BA degree in film studies at Yale University and his MFA in creative writing at Columbia University.