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, 12/3/2013" This a great story about a non superhero living amongst superheros. Guess who saves the day! "
— Brenda, 11/21/2013" This is an amazing story that really looks boring but actually keeps you reading. This is one of my favorite books and I reccomend it. "
— Kat, 10/3/2013" Not terrible, but predictable and cliched. I think my kids might enjoy it, but I wanted something a little more exciting. "
— Heather, 5/23/2013" A fun superhero story with lots of twists and turns! "
— Maria, 5/10/2013" awseome awseome "
— Maari, 8/1/2012" This book is very slow to get started but the characters are cool and the end of the book is great. If you like mysteries, comic books or superheroes, this is the book for you! "
— Jessica, 7/8/2012" I loved this book! I stumbled upon it one day to use as a book report for my class, and to tell you the truth i couldn't put it down! It's great for anyone who loves superheros and action. if you read it, i'm sure you'll love it, i know i did! "
— Varissa, 4/28/2012" This is a good book that shows that having no superpowers doesn't make u a hero "
— Manny, 1/11/2012" Very fun twist on superhero genre! Recommended!!! "
— Linda, 1/7/2012" Daniel is surrounded by super power friends, yet he is the one who saves the day. "
— Joan, 11/23/2011" I enjoyed this one quite a bit; it was a nice twist on the "kids with special gifts/superpowers" theme, in that the main character is "just" an ordinary kid...with heroic potential. "
— Andy, 4/29/2011" True kid appeal, nice mix of mystery and action. Audiobook was serviceable. Nothing special. "
— Kristi, 4/28/2011" I think this book might be adapted into a good kids' movie for the Spy Kids crowd, but for me it kind of fell flat. But, I think the target audience might like it. "
— Kristen, 4/8/2011" Daniel is surrounded by super power friends, yet he is the one who saves the day. "
— Joan, 4/6/2011" this was an ok book, kindof like the adventures of ordinary boy, but a little more i depth. It is a little creepy. Also it shows how evil lies, and trickerey can be "
— Theo, 4/2/2011" Really fun book with a bit of a novelty: the hero of the book does not have "superpowers" of any kind. His friends do, and they are mysteriously losing them. The hero without powers must save the day. "
— Michele, 3/20/2011" I think this might be an enjoyable book for kids. It isn't fantastic literature, but it is a decent story with lots of action and some good plot twists. <br/><br/>I listened to it as an audiobook. The narrator seemed a little too bland some of the times, but the questioning of self was good. "
— LauraW, 12/16/2010" Pretty good story about a boy discovering that some of the children in town have superpowers. The super kids enlist his help to track why they lose their power when they turn 13. This is pretty good. "
— Dru, 10/21/2010" This was a fun read. Where good battle's evil and kids can fly. "
— Amber, 9/20/2010Matthew 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.