Book review: Super! by Jennifer Chen (MG)

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(I received my copy from the publisher)

Publisher:  Insomniac Press

Publishing date:  2018

What's it like to have a gifted friend?
Exciting.
Fun.
Yes, but there's also the matter of jealousy. Especially when your own mother compares you to your friend and you come up lacking. Especially when everyone expects you to be gifted.
That's what twelve-year-old Beata faces--in spades. Her friend Gwen is a "polypower" super-hero and her great-grandmother was the world's first super-hero. And worse, Beata suspects that she may be a Dud-- a descendant of a super-hero, with no super-hero powers.

There's so much about this book that I like...
-the strong female and ethnically diverse characters
-the plot that has as many twists and turns as a super-hero in mid melee.

But...
-the Prologue and Epilogue could easily have been woven into chapters.
-long chapters--especially considering the target reader
-the book would benefit with one more edit as I found passages that could have been made clearer or stronger.

Two examples...

'I nod wordlessly.' (p. 116)

Can you nod with words?

'They amass around me like bees.' (p. 337)

Bees swarm.


Favourite quotes...

'"All anyone can ever ask is for you to do the best with what you have."' (p.117)

 'Before, I could only see Frances Fantastic, the Original Super. Now, I see more. Beyond the fame, she was just a girl.' (p.391)

Thank you, Jennifer Chen, for this action-packed story.  

an island friend kindly indulging me, photo by ldyck

November, on this blog, will be a month for remembrance and knitting-themed fiction.

Sunday, November 4:  Shared Passion (short story)
This piece of magical realism celebrates knitting for charities.

Sunday, November11:  I couldn't think of a better way to remember than to share (again) my dad's words--the words of a veteran from World War II.

Sunday, November 18:  The Lure of Yarn (short story)
A cautionary tale told in jest.

Sunday, November 25:  Courting (short story)
Jane Austen inspired historical romance

on Mayne Island, photo by ldyck

Sharing my author journey...

This October I...

Art Class (short story) by Leanne Dyck

'multi-artist mural on Mayne Island' photo by ldyck

In the past students like me were made to sit in a corner with a dunce cap on their heads. I've seen pictures. Or maybe sent into the hall to teach themselves what the teachers couldn't. I've heard stories. But it's the 70s, today they just...

"Kim, are you listening?" The teacher glares at me. "Earth to Kim." She thinks she's so funny. Maybe she is. The class is laughing.

Am I listening? How do I answer that? Do I tell her the truth?

I was thinking.

That would tick her off. Like I was being disrespectful. Like the only thoughts I'm allowed to have are the ones she gives me.

I say, "Hmm. Ah. Uh."

More laughter.

I'm so funny. I should sit in the back with the class clowns that get A's without trying. Instead of sitting up here struggling to get a C.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Mackie. I'll try harder."

I am sorry. Sorry to her; sorry for me.

Does she even hear me?

The bell rings, I leave that classroom and head to my locker. I keep my head down, my arms by my sides. Sharks swim in these waters. If they smell a weak dolphin they'll bite. I dump my books into my locker and get my stuff for art class.

Mr. Tremblay may look airy-fairy to some but not to me. He dances around with a smile on his face, humming. The walls of his classroom are covered with his students' work--my work.

He says things like, "You took an interesting perspective in this drawing. Good technique." He asks questions like, "Can you tell me where the light is coming from in this picture?" Easy questions. I'm usually the first to answer. I could stay in his classroom all day. But the bell rings again.

School was okay until I turned twelve until I entered the sixth grade. Now it's like all the other kids are racing ahead but I'm...but I'm stuck. 

Next Post
Sunday, October 28 (at approximately 5 PM)
Book Review:  Super! by Jennifer Chew
middle-grade magical realism
What's it like to have a gifted friend?