Almost Super

by Marion Jensen

Overview

Two brothers in a family of superheroes strive to be heroic despite their super-lame super-powers in this funny and heartwarming middle grade adventure.

On February 29th, at 4:23 p.m., everyone in the Bailey family over the age of twelve gets a superpower. No one knows why or how. All the Baileys know is that it's their duty to protect the world from those evil, supervillainous Johnsons. *shakes fists*

Today, Rafter Bailey and his brother Benny are finally going to get their superpowers. Benny wants to be a speedy, and Rafter hopes he gets his grandpa's superstrength. But when their powers arrive, they are—well—duds. Rafter can light matches on polyester, and Benny can turn his innie belly button into an outie.

How is Rafter supposed to defeat his algebra class nemesis, Juanita Johnson, now? And worse still, what if everything he thinks he knows about superheroes is a lie? He may not have an awesome power, but with the help of his wits and an unexpected friend, he could just be almost super.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062209634
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	08/18/2023
Series:	Almost Super , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	261
Sales rank:	909,818
Lexile:	590L (what's this?)
File size:	903 KB
Age Range:	1 - 12 Years

About the Author

Marion Jensen lives in Farmington, Utah. He is one mile away from a large amusement park, two miles away from the Great Salt Lake, and three miles away from thousands of acres of national forest. But he stays indoors all day so he can write books that people will laugh at.

Editorial Reviews

01/27/2014
"At 4:23 in the afternoon, on February 29, any Bailey age 12 or older gets a superpower." In this entertaining and exuberant debut novel, the time has finally come for 13-year-old Rafter Bailey and his younger brother, Benny, to receive their first powers. Rafter can't wait to join his family's fight against the supervillainous Johnson clan, but their new powers are a colossal disappointment: Rafter can now light safety matches using polyester, and Benny can turn his bellybutton "from an innie to an outie." In a fun twist, when the Bailey brothers try to take on Rafter's classmate Juanita Johnson, they learn that the Johnsons believe that they are the heroes, and that the Baileys are the supervillains. Though initially wary, the three kids band together to discover the truth behind their disappointing powers and the feud that has engulfed their families for decades. Balancing humor, action, and an everykid longing to be more (or to be bitten by a radioactive arachnid, at least), Jensen also incorporates subtle messages about perspective, misconceptions, and what true heroism really entails. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Crowe, Harvey Klinger. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

A solid debut: fluent, funny and eminently sequel-worthy.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Packed with action and humor, this is a superhero tale in the spirit of The Incredibles. Jensen’s wit and light tone give the story a playful quality while still managing to incorporate suspense. Family dynamics and teamwork drive a plot that has, above all, a super amount of heart.” — Booklist

“Jensen employs a clever tongue-in-cheek humor throughout. The short chapters and action packed sequences keep the pages turning. Reluctant readers and fans of the Pixar movie The Incredibles will be excited to find out what happens in the sequel.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Packed with action and humor, this is a superhero tale in the spirit of The Incredibles. Jensen’s wit and light tone give the story a playful quality while still managing to incorporate suspense. Family dynamics and teamwork drive a plot that has, above all, a super amount of heart.

Booklist

Packed with action and humor, this is a superhero tale in the spirit of The Incredibles. Jensen’s wit and light tone give the story a playful quality while still managing to incorporate suspense. Family dynamics and teamwork drive a plot that has, above all, a super amount of heart.

Booklist

02/01/2014
Gr 4–6—This superhero story is really about growing up, making choices, and figuring out the world. The Bailey family knows their purpose in life is to fight supervillains like the Johnson family. The Johnson family just happens to think that they are the true superheroes and that the Baileys are the real evil villains. Rafter Bailey cannot wait until the day he gets his superpower. When that day comes, however, the power he gets is less than super and he must learn to live with his disappointment. Although the book is not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, Jensen employs a clever tongue-in-cheek humor throughout. Readers will identify with the way in which Rafter is treated like a kid instead of a full-fledged member of the superfamily and will enjoy seeing Rafter and his friends outsmart the grown-ups. The short chapters and action packed sequences keep the pages turning. Reluctant readers and fans of the Pixar movie The Incredibleswill be excited to find out what happens in the sequel.—Carrie Shaurette, Dwight-Englewood School, Englewood, NJ

School Library Journal

2013-11-02
Inventively tweaking a popular premise, Jensen pits two Incredibles-style families with superpowers against each other--until a new challenge rises to unite them. The Johnsons invariably spit at the mere mention of their hated rivals, the Baileys. Likewise, all Baileys habitually shake their fists when referring to the Johnsons. Having long looked forward to getting a superpower so that he too can battle his clan's nemeses, Rafter Bailey is devastated when, instead of being able to fly or something else cool, he acquires the "power" to strike a match on soft polyester. But when hated classmate Juanita Johnson turns up newly endowed with a similarly bogus power and, against all family tradition, they compare notes, it becomes clear that something fishy is going on. Both families regard themselves as the heroes and their rivals as the villains. Someone has been inciting them to fight each other. Worse yet, that someone has apparently developed a device that turns real superpowers into silly ones. Teaching themselves on the fly how to get past their prejudice and work together, Rafter, his little brother, Benny, and Juanita follow a well-laid-out chain of clues and deductions to the climactic discovery of a third, genuinely nefarious family, the Joneses, and a fiendishly clever scheme to dispose of all the Baileys and Johnsons at once. Can they carry the day? A solid debut: fluent, funny and eminently sequel-worthy. (Adventure. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews