by Dean Pitchford
ages: 9-13
First sentence: “Uh-oh.”
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The first reaction I had to this book was, “Oh my gosh! FINALLY, a normal kid with a normal family.” Seriously, folks, too many of the books I’ve read are about damaged kids with damaged families, and while it’s all interesting and poignant and challenging and all that, sometimes I just wish for a normal kid with a normal(ish) family, having normal(ish) problems.

And, with this book, I got that. With a dose of humor and superheros on the side.

See, Newt Newman (yes, his parents named him Newton, poor kid) is the ten-year-old brother of Chris Newman, high school football star. Newt manages the house — making breakfast for his busy, and slightly absent-minded parents — gets good grades, and has a couple of great friends in JJ (she’s a girl) and Cecil even though he’s a tad bit shy, but is basically ignored by everybody. (“I didn’t know Chris Newman had a brother!” is a common reaction of most people.) Until, that is, a combination of events occur: Halloween, and the Big Game where Chris gets knocked out and put into a coma. And out of these disasters (well, Halloween’s only a disaster because Newt couldn’t find a decent costume) was born Captain Nobody. Newt — in his costume, made from Chris’s old clothes — suddenly finds that he’s a different person when wearing Captain Nobody. Stronger, more outgoing, more able to handle… well, everything that’s thrown his way.

And things do get thrown his way. It’s nothing out of the comic books, but Newt does happen to be in the right place at the right time to be the cause of some pretty remarkable happenings. It’s not outrageous: nothing Newt does is out of the ordinary. He’s just, well, himself. And by being himself — enhanced by the Captain Nobody costume and a frame of mind — he manages to do some small, yet pretty heroic things.

And, I have to admit, it kind of made me want to be a superhero, too.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)