Superheros have been the theme lately. Our family loves the movies and are anxious for the new ones to come out. Our staff retreat this past August was titled: “I Teach…What’s Your Super Power?” Searching for books to match our theme was a fun challenge. One book, Superhero School by Aaron Reynolds, hooked me in for an adventurous peril. Andy Rash, author of Are You a Horse?, details a comic-book hero setting full of action that will ignite your students’ interest.
A boy read for sure as kids are the superheroes … of math. Yes, math. Leonard heads to school expecting to learn how to do incredible feats of saving. Instead, his teacher, Mr. Blue Tornado, has them learning multiplication, division, and fractions. Annoyed and a bit distracted with his own desires, Leonard learns a great lesson in using math within everyday experiences (everyday for a superhero that is). The savvy craft in this book will keep your kids’ attention and you all will enjoy the surprise ending.
I love the “kid talk” in this piece:
“But then it hit Leonard like a giant mutant octopus.“
A short YouTube video (less than 2 minutes) gives you a glimpse of Aaron. It’s not the best sound quality, but I still liked “meeting” the author.
Savorings for reading and in writing for Superhero School:
- Repeating sentence structure
- Magic of 3
- Kid language – “...cooties had to be considered.”
- Narrative with Math Connection
- Vivid Verbs – revved up, recalculated
Posted by MaryHelen 
Book Savors 