A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems edited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt

A Little Bit Super: With Small Powers Come Big Problems edited by Leah Henderson and Gary D. Schmidt. Clarion Books, 2024. 9780358683421






Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4



Format : Hardcover



Genre : Short stories/magic realism



What did you like about the book?  Fourteen powerhouse middle grade authors offer short stories on what it would be like to have a small superpower. We’re not talking about flying or invisibility here; the powers in this book are idiosyncratic and unique to each tween. Maximiliano, in Pablo Cartaya’s 2.4 Seconds to Sonder , is a sonder – he time travels to random people’s lives for 2.4 seconds. Corwin can sense other people’s emotions, in Brian Young’s Corwin the Empathetic . In Kyle Lukoff’s Fingers Crossed , Wyeth is able to sway events to go their way when they cross their fingers. Quinton, in Daniel Nayeri’s The Boy with the Demon Claw , has a demonic claw on his right arm that does “what’s interesting.” And Jarret Krosoczka’s River imagines all of these kids in her drawings, in A River of Thoughts. .



In each story, the protagonist learns something about themself by working with or around their superpower. Imara, a shape shifter, learns to love herself, even if other don’t, in Nikki Grimes’s story in verse, Shift . In Remy Lai’s Asian Parents Dictionary , Theo, a mind reader and self-professed “terrible Asian,” learns a lot about people’s expectations of him as an Asian. Jarret Krosoczka’s A River of Thoughts is the only graphic story, and its black and white pictorial episodes intertwine between each story as River learns about heroes and using her artistic talents for good. The protagonists are diverse middle grade kids, with or without parents, some without friends, and some facing real hardship. There is heartrending poignancy (Kyle Lukoff and Linda Sue Park) and laugh-out-loud funny (Remy Lai.) There really is something for just about everyone here.



I like the conceit of the strange, sometimes funny, and always very specific superpowers. It really does illustrate the point ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ And it’s easy to dip in and out of the book without losing momentum.



Anything you didn’t like about it? Not a criticism exactly: although the novelistic stories each stand alone, A River of Thoughts does make more sense to read in entirety with the rest of the book.



To whom would you recommend this book?  For tween readers who like short stories, or riffs on superheroes.



Who should buy this book?  Elementary and middle school and public libraries



Where would you shelve it?  Fiction or short stories



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Near the top



Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Stephanie Tournas, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA



Date of review:  May 27, 2024