β Scribed by Lee Bacon
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
"Bacon's deadpan narrative hums along with outrageous details, humor, and
action...A hero with a double life and a colossal
set of parental issues, Joshua handles zombies, killer robots, and
teenage girls without losing his cool. Bacon's affectionately playful
take on the superhero genre introduces bombastic personalities without
reducing the characters to caricatures." - Publishers Weekly
"Fast and often funny...A twisty, swiftly moving adventure sure to please superhero fans."
- Kirkus Reviews ***
"Joshua Dread is _funny, action-packed, and a total
page-turner. You'll want to read to the bitter end--unless Joshua's
parents destroy the world first. Which is a distinct possibility."__- Adam
Gidwitz, author of _A Tale Dark & Grimm** __and In a Glass Grimmly***
"Villainy! Mayhem! Family! From supervillains to killer houseplants, Joshua Dread
has it all. I couldn't put it down and I didn't dare, not until I'd
devoured every last page!" **- C. Alexander London, author of the
Accidental Adventure series
**
When your parents are supervillains, it's hard
to have a normal life. Joshua Dread tries to keep a low profile. Not
even his best friend, Milton, knows his secret. Luckily Joshua's not on
anyone's radar--not like Sophie, a new girl with a mysterious past who's
got everyone talking. But weird stuff is happening. Pencils explode in
his hand. He leaves scorched butt marks on the carpet. And he can send
bullies crashing into lockers. Turns out Joshua has a superpower. But he
doesn't have to use it for evil, right? His parents give him a book to
explain things... but nothing can prepare him for when smoke creatures
start kidnapping bad guys. Is Joshua's family next?
**
Gr 4-6-Joshua Dread was looking forward to a relaxing summer-or at least as peaceful as things can get for the son of the world's greatest supervillain duo. Instead, he and his two friends are off to Gyfted & Talented, an exclusive, invitation-only program for kids with certain unusual abilities. Director Gavin Garland announces that the crew has been selected to become the greatest superhero team of all time-the Alliance of the Impossible. He has everything arranged-cool uniforms, specialized training-even secret identities. However, Joshua suspects that there's more to the G&T program than meets the eye. The training exercises seem unduly dangerous, there are surveillance cameras everywhere-and what is Garland hiding behind that locked black door? After the team's first spectacular public mission, Joshua fumbles his secret-identity name and accidentally becomes a media celebrity. Garland seizes on the idea of the Nameless Hero to organize a massive publicity campaign with interviews, product endorsements, and TV appearances. At first, Joshua enjoys being a star, but soon jealousy between the Nameless Hero and the rest of the Alliance causes conflict among the team members, and he knows that they're going to need to stand together to survive. A bit darker than Joshua Dread (Delacorte, 2012), this book highlights the perils of media-created celebrity. Joshua goes from unknown to idol in a few Internet clicks and YouTube views. However, there are plenty of playful moments to lighten the tension, particularly when the kids' parents get involved, and there is a strong underlying theme of family loyalty and friendship. Familiarity with the first book is helpful but not essential and there are plenty of plot threads left for additional sequels.-Elaine E. Knight, formerly at Lincoln Elementary Schools, ILΞ±(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
LEE BACON grew up in Texas with parents who never once tried to destroy the world (at least, not that he knew of). He is the author of the Joshua Dread series and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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