Sidekicks - Hardcover

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You think you have problems? Try being me, Guy Martin, the fastest runner in the world. I can run 92.7 miles an hour. But before I can use my super speed to become a real superhero, I have to be a sidekick. As Speedy, the certified sidekick to Pumpkin Pete, I have to help the League of Big Justice save the world during the day but still get all my homework done and make curfew at night. And I can't tell anyone about this stuff, especially not Prudence Cane, the most beautiful girl in school, even if she's falling for another guy, Mandrake Steel (a.k.a. Charisma Kid).

And I have to try to look cool wearing spandex. Sheesh.

Rezensionen

Grade 6-8-Guy Martin, 13, has all the usual middle school worries-homework hassles, popularity problems, and an unrequited passion for the most beautiful girl in school. However, he also has some very unusual complications. As "Speedy," the world's fastest boy, he is part of a secret crew of apprentice superheroes. With its super sponsors from the League of Big Justice, the Sidekick Club helps defend the world against evil. Guy, unfortunately, is assigned to less-than-super Pumpkin Pete ("I have all the powers of a pumpkin!") and his sidekick duties usually involve a lot of clean-up work. But when the super villains of the Brotherhood of Rottenness take out the Big Justice headquarters-and apparently the entire League as well-it is up to the sidekicks to save the day. Comic-book and superhero traditions come in for some broad but good-natured ribbing. Adult good guys speak in exaggerated, mock-heroic tones while villains cackle maniacally and threaten mayhem at every step. The Boy and Girl Wonders bicker among themselves in typical teenage fashion and often show scant respect for the senior factions-good and evil alike. Adults may be put off by some of the adolescent humor, such as the outlaw Le Poop and his bodily stench arsenal, but, like the off-the-wall chapter titles and cartoon illustrations, it's all part of the joke. It's worth considering for readers who have outgrown Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" series (Scholastic) but aren't ready for the adult absurdity of Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Crown, 1989).
Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.