Title: Captain Nobody
Author: Dean Pitchford
Major Themes: Superheroes, Friendship, Family, Family Friendly
Synopsis: Newt Newman was practically invisible to everyone around—until he donned his Halloween costume and became Captain Nobody.
Captain Nobody is definitely a book that I would never have chosen without a recommendation. The cover features a boy wearing a superhero costume. We don’t do superheroes here. However, since Sonlight Curriculum recommended it, and I got it on a half-off sale, we gave it a try. This turned out to be the kind of book that made the house go silent when I was reading out loud to one child. No one wanted to miss a word. Even my husband stayed awake to listen to this one!
Publisher’s description:
When Newt Newman’s football star brother, Chris, is knocked into a coma during the biggest game of the season, Newt’s two best friends keep his mind off of the accident by helping him create the ultimate Halloween costume: Captain Nobody. Newt feels strong and confident in his new getup, so he keeps wearing it after Halloween is over. Soon Newt assumes the role of a hero in a string of exploits that include foiling a robbery and saving a planeload of passengers. But will Captain Nobody be able to save the one person he cares about most?
My thoughts:
At the beginning of Captain Nobody, Newt was sort of invisible. No one really paid attention to him. His two best friends were the same way; the three stuck together, and nobody noticed them. Newt spent a lot of his time being helpful. He made breakfast for his parents and his brother, he got his brother up and out of bed in the morning, and he kept track of all his mother’s things. Then, when Chris was injured, he took care of himself. By the end of the book, he was still being “all things to all people,” but now he was noticed. Even his parents now seemed to remember that they had another child! I found Newt’s character a bit too perfect to be real, and some of his exploits felt quite improbable. It made a good story, though, and one that certainly caught my children’s attention! Part of that was because it was so funny—for example the robbery that was foiled because someone couldn’t handle bad grammar. That scene was hilarious!
WARNING: Chapter 2: Heck; talk about Halloween, witches, wizards, dragons. Chapter 4: I swear twice. Chapter 5: Yikes, that dude is screwed. Chapters 7-9: Children dress up for Halloween and go trick or treating. Chapter 10: just for the heck of it. Chapter 13: my gosh. Chapter 14: I swear, oh my god. Chapter 15: holy moly. Chapter 16: oh my gosh. Chapter 17: Omigosh. Chapter 18: I could’ve sworn. Chapter 19: Geez, people say that someone is trying to commit suicide. Chapter 22: I could swear, one heck of a week, I swear, Omigosh, oh my gosh, I swear. Chapter 23: Omigosh.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 8 – 12
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged) | Audio CD (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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