AH, this middle school read was TOTALLY ENJOYABLE! I loved it and immediately recommended that my lad and hubby read it, I enjoyed it so much. Murph Cooper is a lad who found himself in a new school that was FAR more than he bargained for, but he made do. Kid Normal is a book I recommend you reading. 🙂
A well-written story by Greg James and Chris Smith, Kid Normal walks us through a lad’s life as he adjusts to a new life situation after a series of hard decisions by his mom. Murph had moved more times then a lad should move in his short life and now he was a new town with no place to go to school. The homeschooler in me wanted to say “SO HOMESCHOOL HIM” but that’s not always an option. His Mom searched high and low, dragging Murph from one place to the next until an overheard conversation landed Murph at “The School”.
It didn’t take Murph long to realize his school was for superheroes in training. He was SO out of place, but stayed. He made friends. Before long a big bad guy threatened the life that Murph had made. Could he be stopped? How could Murph and his new friends stop him? Can they really become heroes?
What do you get?
Graphics
Black and white images scattered throughout the book. They don’t tell the story, but they do a good job of providing details. I would have loved to see the hive.
Interesting fonts
They did a good job of varying the size of the font, adding interesting and pizzazz to the reading. It’s a great way of keeping the reading interesting.
Interludes
Did you know a book can have an intermission? I KNOW weird eh? Anyways, we get to learn the story of Alan Rabbit. Such scintillating knowledge. 🙂
My Thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and regret that it took me so long to pick it up. I finished in less than 24 hours often laughing at the foolishness of the characters. I have to admit, I disliked the bullying of some of the teachers, but I liked how the students took care of each other despite the disdain shown to them. The sense of humour, the cut-outs, the intermission, it’s all part of a wonderful package. I expect that most middle schoolers will enjoy this book and take home good lessons under the wrappings of a decent story.
Kid Normal
Greg James and Chris Smith
Illustrator: Erica Salcedo
Bloomsbury
400 pages, softcover
Middle School, Superheroes,
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books
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