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The Blurb On The Back:
Luke’s in his tree house with his older brother, Zack, but he needs a wee.
When he gets back, his undeserving, never-read-a-comic-book-in-his-life brother has been given superpowers and told to save not one, but two universes. Luke is OUTRAGED! Zack doesn’t even LIKE comics! But there are worlds to save and SOMEONE has to make sure Zack does it properly. Especially as he won’t even wear a cape …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
David Solomons’s debut children’s novel (for readers aged 9+) is a hilarious take on superheroes that involves sibling rivalry, comic books and a villain who (naturally) thinks that they’re the hero and which deservedly won the 2016 Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize. Luke has a terrific narrative voice – I completely believed in the outrage he feels that he missed out on being a superhero but also the loyalty and support that he feels he owes his brother (and yet secretly wants to tell everyone when Star Lad becomes a phenomenon). The relationship between Luke and Zack is very believable – the banter is great and I enjoyed the dynamic they have with their parents (especially how their dad explains to Luke that Zach is going through puberty). The side characters are a lot of fun too – especially Luke’s French best friend (and Star Lad fanboy) Serge – and I liked Lara’s spikiness and determination to work out what’s going on (although it’s a shame she had to be clueless about comics and mis-used words despite wanting to be a journalist). The humour is genuinely laugh out loud with Solomons combining sharp dialogue with hilarious set-pieces (notably a scene involving a comic store owner’s home robots). There’s an open ending that promises a hilarious sequel and I will definitely be checking it out.
Luke’s in his tree house with his older brother, Zack, but he needs a wee.
When he gets back, his undeserving, never-read-a-comic-book-in-his-life brother has been given superpowers and told to save not one, but two universes. Luke is OUTRAGED! Zack doesn’t even LIKE comics! But there are worlds to save and SOMEONE has to make sure Zack does it properly. Especially as he won’t even wear a cape …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
David Solomons’s debut children’s novel (for readers aged 9+) is a hilarious take on superheroes that involves sibling rivalry, comic books and a villain who (naturally) thinks that they’re the hero and which deservedly won the 2016 Waterstone’s Children’s Book Prize. Luke has a terrific narrative voice – I completely believed in the outrage he feels that he missed out on being a superhero but also the loyalty and support that he feels he owes his brother (and yet secretly wants to tell everyone when Star Lad becomes a phenomenon). The relationship between Luke and Zack is very believable – the banter is great and I enjoyed the dynamic they have with their parents (especially how their dad explains to Luke that Zach is going through puberty). The side characters are a lot of fun too – especially Luke’s French best friend (and Star Lad fanboy) Serge – and I liked Lara’s spikiness and determination to work out what’s going on (although it’s a shame she had to be clueless about comics and mis-used words despite wanting to be a journalist). The humour is genuinely laugh out loud with Solomons combining sharp dialogue with hilarious set-pieces (notably a scene involving a comic store owner’s home robots). There’s an open ending that promises a hilarious sequel and I will definitely be checking it out.
