Superheroes soar in this promising debut—and they’re kids! Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice—but odd—new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they’re haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirteen, their abilities will disappear—along with any memory that they ever had them. Is a memory-stealing supervillain sapping their powers? The answers lie in a long-ago meteor strike, a World War II–era comic book (Fantastic Futures, starring the first superhero, Johnny Noble), the green-flamed Witch Fire, a hidden Shroud cave, and—possibly, unbelievably—“powerless” regular-kid Daniel himself. Superhero kids meet comic book mystery in this action-filled debut about the true meaning of a hero.
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"This book has it all: kids with super powers, a mystery, some scary elements and a plot that keeps the reader reading right up to the end. The characters are all interesting and believable (except for their superpowers). And did I detect the hint of a sequel?"
— Georgene (4 out of 5 stars)
" I can think of a lot of kids this would appeal to. "
— Diane, 2/19/2014" RC 2012 The cover and the premise of kid superheroes will probably appeal to the middle school boys, but I really only finished this one because it was a Rebecca Caudill nominee. I really struggled through the first half of the book, but the story picked up pace about 2/3 of the way through. Or should I say picked up pace enough to reveal enough answers/questions to spawn a sequel. The most interesting part of the story was Daniel's essential dilemma (which I don't want to spoil here), but that' doesn't really appear until the last 15-20 pages. I should say I am not a fan of comic books, and this book will probably be well-liked by comic book or superhero fans. "
— MrsB, 2/17/2014" Boys might be drawn to this book since it deals with kids who have quirky super powers. I found the story kind of hard to get into and was never compelled to keep reading. There is a good, creepy evil force that the kids have to fight. "
— Tamara, 2/6/2014" This is sure to please both boys and girls alike who are into super heroes. The protagonist, Daniel, moves to a new town only to discover that some of the children there are hiding a secret. Once it is revealed that these children have super powers that go away on their 13th birthdays it is up to Daniel to help them figure out how to keep them. I thought it was well written and the plot had a great mystery element along with the highly entertaining plot of super-kids! "
— Dana, 2/5/2014" I loved this book. A great story for middle grades! "
— Liz, 1/26/2014" Loved it! Great story! Can't wait for the sequel this fall! "
— Austin, 1/23/2014" Young adult book about a town of kids with super powers that they lose on their 13th birthday. I liked this book because it is different. In a sea of so many predictable books written for young adults, this one is definitely one that stands out. "
— Cherie, 1/17/2014" Amazing and thrilling "
— Booknerd17, 12/25/2013" Great young fantasy book. I will read this aloud to my fifth graders. "
— Susan, 12/25/2013" Fun read aloud to my 8-9-12 year old boys. "
— Kathy, 12/14/2013" weakest part was cover... a little predictable but a great superhero fantasy with an interesting twist or two... "
— Joshua, 12/3/2013Matthew Cody is the author of Powerless, Super, The Dead Gentleman, and Will in Scarlet. Originally from the Midwest, he now lives in New York City with his wife and young son. Besides novels, he has written for both DC Comics and Marvel, and is a regular moderator at the Thalia Book Club camp at Symphony Space.
Gary Dikeos is a voice actor and audiobook narrator living in Los Angeles. In addition to narrating audiobooks, he voices television commercials, documentaries, and animation projects.