How I Became a Super Hero

Fans of Dan Greenburg's "Zack Files" series will happily devour books about Maximum Boy, a ten-year old who accidentally becomes a superhero after touching space rocks on a field trip. The books, told in the first person, are fast-paced, full of hyperbole, and engagingly absurd. In this first book, villains kidnap Manhattan by towing it out to sea. Parents will enjoy the matter-of-fact way in which Max's parents react to his superhero status, the short-sighted way in which New York's mayor rejects Max's help, Max's comments on the snooty characters of other superheroes, and a number of other light satirical touches. I might wish that Max's "kryptonite" was something other than mathematics, but kids will enjoy seeing him quivering weak as jelly whenever confronted with a word problem. For young readers who like humor, adventure, and books that are not too long, this series can be addictive.