When You think of powers you probably think of super powers: X ray vision, super human strength, the ability to fly, the cloak of invisibility… The kind that would come in pretty handy. We don't think of little and quirky powers. The authors who contributed to the anthology of short stories entitled A Little Bit Super did just that.
*Imara (Shift) can shape shift on Mondays and only shift part of her body.
*Welly (Rescue Day) can understand animals' speech on Tuesdays.
*Jamie (Roll On) can tell just by looking which avocados are the perfect degree of ripeness.
The fourteen school age protagonists of these stories have to find ways to cope with their new powers and sometimes the unfortunate reactions of their peers. They all manage. Some even harness them to create positive change.
The contributors are some of the big names in middle grade lit: Nikki Grimes, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, Pam Munoz Ryan…. They've proven their ability to capture the minds and hearts of middle grade readers.
This is an especially good summer reading choice for kids who would rather do almost anything else. The stories are short, self contained, and distinctively different from each other. Traditional prose short stories are interspersed with works done in free form verse and graphic formats.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm just back from a lovely weekend at camp with Eugene. The weather was perfect. We hit yard sales on the way up and found good bargains.
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene.
Jules Hathaway
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