Trine, Greg and Montijo, Rhode (illustrations).The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman #1)
Published May 30th 2006 by Henry Holt and Co.
Library copy
Melvin is a super hero who has some trouble with his super powers. It takes him a little longer to launch into flight, it takes him longer to stop trains, and he isn't fond of his x ray vision, because he gets tired of seeing underwear! His one undoing-- if he is around bologna, he is weakened. Other super heroes give him a hard time. When aspiring actress Candace takes her cape to the cleaners at the same time Melvin does, the two get the wrong cape, and Candace gets some of Melvin's powers. Eventually, the two meet up and are able to change capes and decide to be partners in UNcrime.
Strengths: Many of my reluctant readers LOVE superheroes books. These are a great length, similar to Captain Underpants in their ratio of words to pictures, and on a fairly easy reading level. There are eight books in the series so far, so this will keep them reading for a bit.
Weaknesses: Not quite as funny and clever as Captain Underpants, and while the illustrations might be more attractive than those, they also look very computer generated.
What I really think: The downside of telling your students that you have read all of the fiction books in the school library is that if you buy seven books in the series, you have to READ seven books in the series. (Book 8 did not come in this shipment. Hmmm.)
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