October 22, 2012
In this lively romp from newcomer Bacon, sixth-grader Joshua Dread is contending with the knowledge that his parents are secretly supervillains who periodically try to take over and/or destroy the world, only to inevitably be beaten down by heroes like the telegenic, endorsement-happy Captain Justice. Just as Joshua's own power of spontaneous combustion emerges, he faced with a worse problem: weird smoke creatures are kidnapping supervillains, and his parents are the latest to vanish. Now Joshua must save the worst villains on the planet, and his only allies are his best friend, Milton, and Sophie, a new girl with secrets of her own. Despite predictable moments, Bacon's deadpan narrative hums along with outrageous details, humor, and action and is complemented by Dorman's suitably heroic b&w portraits of the characters. A hero with a double life and a colossal set of parental issues, Joshua handles zombies, killer robots, and teenage girls without losing his cool. Bacon's affectionately playful take on the superhero genre introduces bombastic personalities without reducing the characters to caricatures. Ages 9â12. Agent: Sarah Burnes, the Gernert Company.
May 1, 2014
Gr 4-6-After his dangerous and very public summer with the Alliance of the Impossible in The Nameless Hero (Delacorte, 2013), Joshua is hoping for a normal year in seventh grade-or at least as normal as things can get for the son of the world's greatest supervillains. Unfortunately, the renegade nFinity is back, and he hasn't forgotten his humiliating defeat by the Alliance. The ex-hero is out for revenge-and he's still working for the evil mastermind Vex. Meanwhile, Joshua's parents, the Dread Duo, get together with Captain Justice, their arch-nemesis (and the father of Joshua's good friend Sophie), to consider a safe school environment for the kids-their old alma mater, Alabaster Academy. Between the super-charged curriculum, super-bullies, and secret identities, the friends have difficulty adjusting to their new school-and then they discover nFinity and his goons have followed them. With the traitors' help, Vex has infiltrated the Academy-and is seeking control of The Device-a potent weapon that will enable him to enslave the world. Somewhere at Alabaster is the Dominion Key, which will activate The Device. Alabaster Academy is a kind of Hogwarts for Superheroes, filled with secret passages, ghostly legends, slightly dotty professors, and the occasional death trap. Readers may wish there was more here about life in a super-school, but they will enjoy the series' hallmark bizarre contraptions, including a flying fortress shaped like a massive duck and wildly creepy monsters like the human/motorcycle Cyclaurs. There is also a sweet, gentle side note featuring Sophie's godfathers-two elderly superheroes, Mr. Marvelous and the Whiz Kid, now living together in quiet retirement, but ready to spring back into action for one last exploit. A worthy addition to an original and creative series.-Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 15, 2012
"It's embarrassing to run into your parents when you're with people from school, especially when your parents are about to destroy the planet." Sixth-grader Joshua has always had to contend with his parents' secret identities, The Botanist and Dr. Dread--the Dread Duo. They keep trying to destroy the world, and Captain Justice keeps thwarting them. Now, it looks like Josh might be Gyfted (Genetic Youth Fluctuation, Triggering Extraordinary Development). He's not sure how he feels about that. Does he want to be a supervillain? He certainly doesn't want to shill for every product on the planet like Captain Justice. To make matters worse, when strange creatures attack the Vile Fair, a yearly expo for supervillains, the world's most evil villains begin vanishing. When the Dread Duo fall prey, can Josh solve the mystery and save his parents? Bacon's debut is a fast and often funny entry in the kid-with-superpowers subgenre. Joshua, his normal friend Milton and new friend Sophie all contend with real preteen troubles (bullies and gossip) as well as those particular to the Gyfted. Dorman's occasional black-and-white illustrations of the characters are a nice addition, but there are far too few of them. A twisty, swiftly moving adventure sure to please superhero fans. (Fantasy. 8-12)
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July 1, 2014
After they're attacked by Phineas Vex's minions, Joshua Dread and friends are sent to a school for kids with superpowers. There, they learn that Vex is seeking the Dominion Key, which will give him world domination; they have to find it before he does. Nonstop action and creative, humorous details (like a giant robotic duck) buoy this third series entry.
(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)