Book Review: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy

I've done some writing this week, but right now the pacing is out of whack and I need to banish my inner editor before I'll be able to feel good about what I've written. There have been some fun results of my brainstorming (on how to get my pacing back to normal): I managed to come up with a whole, elaborate-yet-brilliantly-simple plan for Jeremy and Becca as well as a couple of friends for Jeremy. They, of course, are also thieves. There's Paul, the hacker, and Case, the forger. They also use their skills to help people and aren't crazy enough to use them under Becca's nose. They're not as charismatic as Jeremy, but they're pretty great. Paul has no self-control with a computer (think, "let's see how far I can go before I get in trouble") and Case loves football but won't play it because he's afraid he'll damage his hands. As for the plan, not revealing it to the public.

As the title of this post would imply, I have done a lot of reading lately and have found a couple pretty fun books. Since I've been on a superhero kick lately since The Avengers came out - I saw Chronicle  and rewatched X-Men: First Class since - several of these books have been superhero stories. The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy: The Hero Revealed by William Boniface is a light, fun summer read that I thoroughly enjoyed. The story takes place in Superopolis, where everyone is born with a superpower, wears a costume, and has a name like Plasma Girl or the Amazing Indestructo. Everyone, except Ordinary Boy. When O Boy and his friends uncover a plot (somewhat by accident) by the villainous Professor Brain-Drain, they get involved.

If you like the movie Sky High, you'd get a kick out of this book. It mocks superheroes in a loving way - most of the people in Superopolis are incredibly stupid and are pretty much useless if they can't use their powers. O Boy, of course, is more intelligent than most. One of the most fun things about the book is that each person in the city has a different name and superpower, and they're not all amazing. There's the Inkblot, who can repel ink, Puddle Boy, who makes puddles, and Melonhead, whose head resembles a watermelon and can spit seeds. See? Like Sky High.

The book is middle grade, and I'm not going to say it will change your life. But it is a fun, fast read for those who love superhero stories. It's clever in its treatment of comic book traditions, and is a pretty entertaining depiction of what a city full of superheroes would be like.