Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... McMinnville Public Library | Boniface, W. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | J Fic Boniface, W. 2006 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Salem Main Library | J Boniface, W. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... West Salem Branch Library | J Boniface, W. | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
In Superopolis everyone has a superpower! Well...almost everyone. Meet Ordinary Boy.
In a town where everyone is a superhero, what if you were the only person with no superpowers at all?
Welcome to the life of Ordinary Boy. He's...well, he's pretty much exactly as his name suggests. But things are not so super in Superopolis these days, with the evil Professor Brain-Drain on the loose. To make matters worse, Ordinary Boy and his friends are thrown into the middle of a baffling mystery. Forget superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this just might be a job for...Ordinary Boy!
With black-and-white illustrations throughout, this "celebration of the comics genre" (Kirkus) is perfect for readers who love the New York Times bestselling Captain Underpants series and Michael Buckley's New York Times bestselling NERDS series, as well as young fans of Marvel and DC Comics--and anyone who's ever longed to be super.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-This first book in a new series is great fun, and readers will zip through it faster than a speeding bullet. Ordinary Boy lives in Superopolis, where he appears to be the only citizen with no superpowers at all. Of course O Boy's friends don't have an easy time themselves. His best friend, Stench, possesses mighty strength, but every time he uses it he emits a-well, he lives up to his name. Halogen Boy can glow brightly, but unfortunately he's far from the brightest bulb in the box. The greatest of them all is the Amazing Indestructo, and O Boy is his greatest fan. But a strange plot involving collector cards, million-dollar promotional contracts, and Indestructo's greatest adversary, Professor Brain-Drain, shake O Boy's faith in his hero-in a hilarious way. Along the way, readers who are paying attention will see that O Boy might not be so ordinary after all. Boniface wields a cynical, but definitely kid-friendly, sense of humor, and Gilpin's illustrations are sharp and witty. Kids who love comic books, superhero animations, and graphic novels will enjoy this story.-Walter Minkel, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In overtly consumerist Superopolis, the power struggle--between beloved Amazing Indestructo and loathed Professor Brain Drain--plays out for real and as a popular TV show. Every resident, constantly munching possibly mind-numbing chips from the local factory, boasts a superpower, however ineffectual. (Spaghetti Man poses as much of a threat as a wet noodle, and Halogen Boy is, well, a bit dim.) Ordinary Boy (wistful over his own seemingly elusive superpower) narrates as he and four fellow junior heroes rush to complete their set of Amazing Indestructo Collector Cards. Their quest--punctuated by OB's reverent consultations of his "L'il Heroes Handbook" (its pages liberally interspersed)--rollicks from blind materialism to dangerous confrontations with the city's greed-driven super-honchos. OB gains insights into the character of his revered AI as well as his own super-talent. Hilarious details and nonstop action leaven the weighty stuff: Boniface has fun with his superheroes, from Major Bummer to Plasma Girl, and OB's narration conveys a successful mix of irony and idolatry. As a send-up and a celebration of the comics genre, this packs a wallop. (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. Ordinary Boy is the only resident of Superopolis, a city of heroes, who doesn't have superpowers. He is part of the Junior Leaguers team that includes Halogen Boy, whose glowing ability depends on his consumption of apple juice; Plasma Girl, who can transform into a jellylike substance; and Stench, notable for passing overpowering gas. Ordinary Boy's personal hero is the Amazing Indestructo, the self-proclaimed greatest hero of Superopolis, who is the leader of the League of Ultimate Goodness. When the Junior Leaguers get the opportunity to help the Amazing Indestructo foil the sinister plans of villainous Professor Brain-Drain, Ordinary Boy realizes that even without superpowers, he can still do extraordinary things. Ordinary Boy's narrative is interspersed with pages from the Li'l Heroes Handbook, offering brief profiles on characters and places in the story. Fast-paced and silly, this first title in the Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series will appeal to fans of Captain Underpants in search of new adventures. --Ed Sullivan Copyright 2006 Booklist