Superhero Children's Books at VCL: Super Hero Fiction

Newcomer Rachel joins a group of neighborhood kids in their special club, the Defenders of the Universe, modeled after their comic book superheroes. The group soon faces real-life adventures and helps the local police catch some criminals.

I am retiring from my life as a superhero and have enclosed my cape. Use it well. Sincerely, Uncle George.   Jo Schmo comes from a long line of crime fighters, but she’s just a normal fourth grade girl into boys and skateboards-until her uncle’s cape arrives on her San Francisco doorstep. Time to join the family business! Gramps shows Jo the tricks of the trade, and her dog, Raymond, becomes her slobbery sidekick. Just in time, too. Can Jo stop Dr. Dastardly and his deadly gang of dead dinos? Stay tuned for more adventures of Jo Schmo, complete with hilarious black-and-white illustrations.

Ernie Eggers is thrilled when he wins a superhero contest and becomes Extraordinary Ernie. But his excitement turns to dismay when he discovers that his sidekick is a sheep. But there has never been another sheep quite like Marvelous Maud. Illustrations.

What if things had worked out a little differently for Cinderella? What if the evil stepmom wasn't exactly horrible and the step sisters weren't entirely evil? If all those things were true, would there still be a prince who falls for the lonely and sad maiden? For Lucy, the answer seems to be a resounding'no. When her father remarries, Lucy's old life is turned upside down. She moves from her West Coast home to a suburb on Long Island and feels like a total outcast. With no friends in her future, a blank social calendar, and a huge crush on the prince of the varsity basketball team, Lucy's life doesn't seem to have the makings of "happily ever after." But Lucy soon finds out that happy endings do happen-just not scripted as she had planned.

Freddie has shoes that give him super speed. It's hard to be a superhero and a regular kid at the same time, especially when your shoes give you even more power! Freddie needs an on/off switch for his super speed, so Mr. Vaslov, who created the shoes, decides to invent a remote control, but he gets more than he planned. When his young neighbor's ball goes missing, Freddie uses his new powers to find it...and Mr. Vaslov!

Twelve-year-old Vincent and his fellow members of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club help out when someone new becomes Earth's most famous superhero, without knowing anything about him, just as evil Professor Mayhem and his robot arrive in Copperplate City.

What in the world has happened to our young heroes?! Suddenly they are all acting like old people! Why is Loud Boy walking with a cane? Is that Chatterbox with the granny bag and beehive hairdo? Wait a minute, when did Destructo Kid go crazy for bingo? Is Fidget the new shuffleboard king of the senior center? And hold the phone'is that Tantrum Girl over there sitting in a big rocking chair and knitting? There's only one way to find out. Pick up a copy of Loud Boy #4. Too scared? Oh . . . GROW UP!

Mild-mannered Zoe Richards was just your average 6th grader, celebrating her 12th birthday, when an ear-piercing debacle convinced her grandfather to tell her the truth: she’s asuperhero. And she’d better start training to use her superspeed and superstrength, because pretty soon she’s going to be called upon to save the world.

Bob is just an ordinary boy with ordinary friends who goes to an ordinary school, each and every day. But this is no ordinary day. Today when Bob opens his lunchbox, he finds Hot Dog a real, live, talking hotdog! Hot Dog says he's from another planet. He s here to save Earth. And gulp he needs Bob's help! Full of humor, quirky characters, brief fast-paced chapters, and funny black-and-white illustrations on each page, Hot Dog and Bob is sure to be welcomed by beginning readers.

Billionaire Tony Stark invents a high-tech suit of armor that he hopes will save the world. But when his stolen designs are used for evil, Stark must wear the suit himself. Will his superhero shell be enough to stop a villain bent on destruction, or will Tony's days as Iron Man be his last?

Something rotten has taken root! When Jo Jo Wigman and her classmates plant their new class garden, they're expecting rows and rows of plump, juicy fruits and vegetables. But what they unearth is a pretty rotten bunch! That gnarly old lettuce head, The Romaine Gladiator, rises from the garden patch with dastardly plans to reunite the Brotherhood of Evil Produce! Can the Magic Pickle make a knuckle sandwich out of those notorious no-good veggies before their seeds of destruction destroy the world?

Michael Buckley is at his comic best in this madcap new series sure to appeal to kids looking for a quick, exciting read. Combining all the excitement of international espionage and all the awkwardness of elementary school,NERDS, featuring a group of unpopular students who run a spy network from inside their school, hits the mark. With the help of cutting-edge science, their nerdy qualities are enhanced and transformed into incredible abilities! They battle the Hyena, a former junior beauty pageant contestant turned assassin, and an array of James Bond–style villains, each with an evil plan more diabolical and more ridiculous than the last. F&P level: V Praise forNERDS “An action-packed, tongue-in-cheek take on the world of superheroes and villains. The pacing is quick and the action is plentiful—kids will almost hear the sound effects as they read.NERDSbrings a worthy message to the fore—that uncool kids can grow up to be anything but. Funny, clever, and thoroughly entertaining, this title should be popular.” –School Library Journal "The unique format of this book, combined with the imaginative and playful storyline, will appeal to many readers." –Children's Literature

Meet Martin Bridge - a boy whose well-meant plans sometimes go awry. In three illustrated stories, Martin encounters two bus drivers with very different ways of relating, makes a tough decision about a friend's pet and takes on an extremely competitive model rocket project that almost costs him a friendship. The daily rhythms, struggles and triumphs of childhood - at home, at school and with friends - are evoked with warmth, understanding, honesty and humor.

Alvin Bixby: Hulking, knuckles of steel, hideous breath, foul temper. Kids call him: Bubba. Nolan Byrd: Puny, power walker, math genius, can’t keep shoes tied. Kids call him: Nerd. Bubba has been the bane of Nolan’s existence for five long years. So when Mr. Green asks the class to become reporters, Nolan decides he’ll write an exposé—on Bubba. He doesn’t want to sign his name to it (that’d be suicidal), so Nolan creates a secret identity for himself—on the Internet. He launches Shredderman.com as a place where truth and justice prevail—and bullies get what’s coming to them. This hilariously triumphant story is for any kid who’s ever dreamed of unleashing their own inner superhero! From the Hardcover edition.

Look up in the sky! It's a BOLD new graphic novel about SUPERHERO PETS! Captain Amazing, superhero and savior of Metro City, is getting old. He's out all hours battling arch-villains, catching thieves, and helping little old ladies cross the street. He doesn't even have time for his house full of pets. He needs - a SIDEKICK! Captain Amazing's four pets agree. But each one of them thinks HE should get the sidekick spot - and a chance for one-on-one time with the Captain. Get ready for sibling rivalry royale as pets with superpowers duke it out for the one thing they all want - a super family. A BOLD and BRILLIANT graphic novel romp by whiz kid Dan Santat.

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).

Sixth-grader Simon Bloom can't believe his luck when he finds a book that enables him to control the laws of physics. By simply reciting the formulas it contains, he can cancel gravity to fly around his bedroom, or decrease friction so he can slide down the street as if he were on Rollerblades. When two thugs with evil intentions come after Simon, he must use the formulas to save himself and the book from falling into their hands. This funny, fast, and imaginative novel from first-time author Michael Reisman will appeal to fans of both fantasy and action-adventure.

Save the planet . . . Pluto! Stink Moody, wise-cracking champion of everything small, is on a new mission: to reinstate his favorite celestial orb. Look! Up in the sky! Is it a falling leaf ? A speck of dust? A speeding mosquito? No, it’s Stink Moody, Solar System Superhero! When Stink learns that Pluto has flunked out of the Milky Way for being too shrimpy, he feels like he might just explode with a Big Bang. Stink has no choice but to take a stand for the sake of little planets (and little people) everywhere. Will he be smart enough to defeat a panel of big-shot scientists? Will he be strong enough to beat know-it-all Riley Rottenberger and her "Team KPB"? Will he succeed in rescuing Pluto from a fate worse than being swallowed by a black hole? Start the countdown for a funny (and very informative) out-of-this-world adventure—and prepare to have your universe rocked! From the Hardcover edition.

A quick, inventive chapter book featuring an unusual hero--an eight-year-old worrier. We meet Stuart pressed against a rainy window, worried and bored. Worried, because hundreds of things could go wrong in a new house, a new town, a new school. Bored, because he has no one to play with and because his collection of Valuable Things disappeared during the move. He really needs an adventure. In one fateful moment, it all becomes clear: Stuart realizes that in order to have adventure, he needs a cape! After all, don't all those superheroes have capes? Each day the cape brings a different and unexpected adventure. He entertains a gorilla, a horse, and a dinosaur in his bedroom.

George Beard and Harold Hutchins are two amazing kids. Not only did they create Captain Underpants, but they've saved the world five times! Now George and Harold bring you an all-new superhero who's faster than a speeding stroller, more powerful than diaper rash, and able to leap tall buildings without making poopy-stinkers. Meet Super Diaper Baby - the most powerful peewee to ever pack a punch.

Bad guys tremble at the sound of his name! Meet Melvin Beederman. He's a pretty good superhero, even though it always takes him five or six tries to get launched and flying. His weakness (every superhero has one) is bologna, which makes it hard to go into a deli. Still, Melvin manages to keep the city of Los Angeles free of nasty villains - once he's airborne. Crash! Splat! Thud! Kabonk! This series has it all: hilarious story lines, amazing classic-comic-inspired illustrations, fearless new superheroes, and SNACKS! Bad guys tremble at the sound of his name! Melvin loves fighting crime in Los Angeles, until the McNasty Brothers, the baddest guys of all, start robbing banks - and Melvin's superpowers mysteriously disappear. Enter Candace, a third-grade actress with some surprising new talents. Once they team up, nothing can beat these partners in uncrime. Nothing but bologna, that is . . .

YIKES! Professor Brain-Drain is on the loose! This supervillain menaces the fine supercitizens of Superopolis, concocting evil-genius schemes and draining everyone's brainpower! (And in this town, there's not a whole lot of that to begin with.) NEVER FEAR! The AMAZING INDESTRUCTO will save the day! He is indestructible! He cannot be harmed by anything! He is the town's greatest superhero! Collect all sixty-four of his trading cards! BUT WAIT! A mystery is afoot in Superopolis. Why is it so hard to get a complete set of the collectible cards? Where is the last card hiding? Who is the real mastermind behind this sinister plot, and what is he planning? Forget the regular superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this might just be a job for . . . ORDINARY BOY.

Hakata Soy's past life as the leader of a futuristic super team won't stay in the past! The former space hero is doing his best to keep his head down at Astronaut Academy. Things aren't going so great, though. The most popular girl in school has it in for him. His best friend won't return his calls. And his new roommate is a complete jock who only cares about Fireball. Hakata just wants to make a fresh start. But how will he find time to study Anti-Gravity Gymnastics and Tactical Randomness when he's got a robot doppelganger on its way to kill him?