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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
A fun and engaging story with a nice twist on hidden worlds and superpowers. This book has been a cherished one of mine for years now and I have returned to it many times
A few plot holes, but overall very enjoyable. Not sure why it hasn't gotten more attention
Super fun read! Read it with my creative writing classes. We all enjoyed it!
Age: 3rd-6th
Fantasy: Superheroes
First sentence: "The safest town on Earth?" thought Daniel. "Couldn't sound lamer."
A fun delve into superpowers that isn't awash with silliness. We start out with a really intriguing prologue of Michael's 13th birthday. His friends are distant and his room is covered in pictures of a flying boy that say "You can fly." His mind is foggy until finally the confusion blows away and a little voice in his head tells him that it is time to put away childish things. And he never flew again.
From here we follow the story of Daniel, an ordinary boy that moves into Noble's Green. The first friends he meets turn out to be kids with superpowers. But when they turn 13, their superpowers vanish and so do their memories. His new friends ask Daniel, an aficionado of Sherlock Holmes, to solve the mystery of the disappearing powers.
The writing was a breeze but it didn't seem to belittle the audience. The mystery was held strong throughout the book. Cody also presents some very interesting philosophical questions about greed and power and feeling powerless. Although I kind of wanted Daniel to discover a superpower at the end, I appreciated that Cody kept him "powerless," giving a unique angle to superhero stories.
Fantasy: Superheroes
First sentence: "The safest town on Earth?" thought Daniel. "Couldn't sound lamer."
A fun delve into superpowers that isn't awash with silliness. We start out with a really intriguing prologue of Michael's 13th birthday. His friends are distant and his room is covered in pictures of a flying boy that say "You can fly." His mind is foggy until finally the confusion blows away and a little voice in his head tells him that it is time to put away childish things. And he never flew again.
From here we follow the story of Daniel, an ordinary boy that moves into Noble's Green. The first friends he meets turn out to be kids with superpowers. But when they turn 13, their superpowers vanish and so do their memories. His new friends ask Daniel, an aficionado of Sherlock Holmes, to solve the mystery of the disappearing powers.
The writing was a breeze but it didn't seem to belittle the audience. The mystery was held strong throughout the book. Cody also presents some very interesting philosophical questions about greed and power and feeling powerless. Although I kind of wanted Daniel to discover a superpower at the end, I appreciated that Cody kept him "powerless," giving a unique angle to superhero stories.
Spoiler
The book ends with an invitation to read more: Who is Johnny Noble? Is he really still alive? When will the meteor hit? Will the children's passion for justice be overshadowed by human faults such as jealousy and greed?
This book does't quite hit the mark: it is too slow to be action-packed, has too many holes to be a mystery and too little dialogue to stand out as a character driven book. While not boring, it just doesn't seem as exciting as it should be. I'm curious to think what my book club thinks of this one.
Appropriate for middle school students. Those who liked Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper or Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment may enjoy this title as well.
Appropriate for middle school students. Those who liked Simon Bloom: The Gravity Keeper or Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment may enjoy this title as well.
Daniel and his family move to Noble's Green to be with his sick grandmother. As he makes new friends, Daniel discovers that some of them have secret superpowers. It's something special to the community, but the powers--and all memories of having them--always disappear on each person's thirteenth birthday. But Daniel is a detective, and as jealous as he is in his powerlessness he also wants to help his friends by solving the mystery of the superpowers and why they always go away.
Comparing this to [b:Joshua Dread|13533687|Joshua Dread (Joshua Dread #1)|Lee Bacon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1343316549s/13533687.jpg|19095372], this is better in every way.
Having the main character be a Sherlock Holmes buff is great! It helped deepen his character and give the reader something to connect to. At least, it did for me, but it may not for young readers. It also may give away most of the plot, since anyone who has read a few Sherlock Holmes story will guess the sequence of events & where the twisted plot winds up.
Nevertheless, it was fun, exciting, thought-provoking, and smart enough to keep the reader on her toes.
Having the main character be a Sherlock Holmes buff is great! It helped deepen his character and give the reader something to connect to. At least, it did for me, but it may not for young readers. It also may give away most of the plot, since anyone who has read a few Sherlock Holmes story will guess the sequence of events & where the twisted plot winds up.
Nevertheless, it was fun, exciting, thought-provoking, and smart enough to keep the reader on her toes.
A super fun book centering around an ordinary boy who befriends a group of preteen superheroes in his new town. There is a mystery afoot, though! Each pint size hero loses his or her powers and all memories of their special abilities on their thirteenth birthday. The plot is full of twists and red herrings -- I, as a grown up, was fooled. I admit. Cody's take on the superhero adventure story is grounded by its ordinary Joe perspective. I liked the characters a lot, with their mistakes, realistic tempers, and near nerdiness. The bullies in the story turned me off a little as they weren't especially well done -- more like the caricature of the bad kids in schools. This wraps up in one book, but hints at a sequel. Tons of fun -- to be recommended to reluctant readers for sure.
fun plot, okay characters, impressively bad dialogue.
Grades 4-7
When Daniel moves to the little town of Noble's Green, PA so that his parents can help care for his sick grandmother, he quickly realizes there's something a little odd about the kids he meets: a secretiveness, and evidence of skills that far surpass normal human abilities. After one of his new friends saves Daniel from a terrible multi-story fall, the group admits that they have superhero powers. But on their 13th birthday, they lose those powers and any memory of them, not even remembering their former friendships. Wanting to learn more about why the powers are lost on their 13th birthday, the group solicits Daniel's help: he sleeps over with one of the boys who is turning 13, and to his horror, he discovers that the powers are being sucked from the sleeping superhero by a villainous figure. Daniel has always loved detective stories, and by putting some of his detective skills to use, he discovers that The Shroud is trying to suck up the abilities of the Noble's Green children in order to increase his own power. Since he's the only one with no powers for The Shroud to steal, Daniel is determined to help find a way to put a stop to the villain's treachery. Along the way, Daniel learns that, even if he can't fly or lift up cars with superhuman strength, he has what it takes to be a hero. This fast-paced celebration of superheroes and friendship has a few twists and turns that will keep kids turning the pages and cheering the whole way.
When Daniel moves to the little town of Noble's Green, PA so that his parents can help care for his sick grandmother, he quickly realizes there's something a little odd about the kids he meets: a secretiveness, and evidence of skills that far surpass normal human abilities. After one of his new friends saves Daniel from a terrible multi-story fall, the group admits that they have superhero powers. But on their 13th birthday, they lose those powers and any memory of them, not even remembering their former friendships. Wanting to learn more about why the powers are lost on their 13th birthday, the group solicits Daniel's help: he sleeps over with one of the boys who is turning 13, and to his horror, he discovers that the powers are being sucked from the sleeping superhero by a villainous figure. Daniel has always loved detective stories, and by putting some of his detective skills to use, he discovers that The Shroud is trying to suck up the abilities of the Noble's Green children in order to increase his own power. Since he's the only one with no powers for The Shroud to steal, Daniel is determined to help find a way to put a stop to the villain's treachery. Along the way, Daniel learns that, even if he can't fly or lift up cars with superhuman strength, he has what it takes to be a hero. This fast-paced celebration of superheroes and friendship has a few twists and turns that will keep kids turning the pages and cheering the whole way.