Almost Super by Marion Jensen (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Almost Super by Marion Jensen Thaddeus Andracki Jensen, Marion. Almost Super. Harper/HarperCollins, 2014. [256p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-220961-0 $14.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-06-220963-4 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 3-5. Every Leap Day, any member of the Bailey family newly over the age of twelve develops a superpower, and Rafter and his younger brother Benny wait with bated breath to claim their extraordinary skill this time around. Unfortunately, they’re disappointed when their powers end up being less than super: Rafter can strike matches on polyester, while Benny can pop his innie bellybutton into an outie and back. They’re afraid they’ll be left out of their family’s sworn struggle against a supervillain family, the Johnsons, until a confrontation with Juanita Johnson reveals that the Johnsons consider themselves the town’s superheroes, archenemies of the heinous Baileys, and that Juanita’s similarly found herself with a fizzled-out ability (effortlessly unclogging toilets). These surprises lead the three to dig a little bit deeper and uncover a master plot hatched by the truly villainous family of Joneses that will require their families to team up to overcome. Weak characterization and run-of-the-mill action scenes mean that the execution is less engaging than the concept, and the resolution, designed to set up for future vanquishing of the still-pretty-mysterious Joneses in a sequel, barely scrapes by as satisfying as a conclusion to this novel. Underdog superhero kids are usually crowd-pleasers, however, so this may gain traction as an up-and-coming series for fans of Cody’s Powerless (BCCB 2/10). Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois