the depiction of school bullying seems very extreme with little to no adult knowledge or response ( )

CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE by J.S. Puller tells the story of a seventh grader who becomes a superhero’s sidekick.

Janey’s goal is to avoid conflict and fly under the radar. However when Captain Superlative arrives bearing acts of kindness, Janey decides to team up with this superhero and take action. This fast-paced and endearing middle school drama explores social themes such as bullying and childhood illness. Elements of humor and authentic characters add to the appeal of the story.

Librarians will find youth drawn to this story of courage and kindness. Feature it along with other positive school stories with a message.

Published by Disney Book Group on May 8, 2018. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )

Captain Superlative is the story of Janey, a perfectly ordinary junior high student who's content to live in the shadows. More than content, actually--it's what she strives for. She's been in the spotlight once, as the "poor girl who just lost her mother" and she never wants to be there again, so she floats through school each day, making as few ripples as she can, feeling bad when she witnesses the school bully tormenting her favorite target but not doing anything about it.

But then Captain Superlative shows up, seemingly unfazed by all of the things that scare Janey the most, and her presence both fascinates and terrifies her. Almost before she realizes what is happening, Janey has become the Captain's sidekick, and together they are making the world a better place for all of the citizens entrusted to their care. But Captain Superlative's cape and wig and suit hide a pretty big secret, and Janey has to decide for herself how she means to go forward in life. Can she go back to being invisible? Does she even want to ?

I loved watching Janey become a part of the world around her through the course of this book. Some things are left out of the narrative here--Captain Superlative's actual ending, the bully's reformation--but that was okay. As a former junior high teacher I still have a hard time believing that every single adult at the school could be totally blind to the other side of the bully--maybe their school was just that much bigger than mine? Still, this is a sweet story with a good message that it manages to tell with out hitting the reader too hard over the head with it. I definitely recommend for classrooms and libraries everywhere.

Just be sure to have tissues handy! Boxes and boxes of them...

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. ( )