by Jacqueline Jules (Author) Miguel Beni-Tez (Illustrator)
One day Freddie Ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. What's inside? ZAPATO POWER-shoes that change Freddie's life by giving him super speed! But what will Freddie do with his fast new skills? Weird things are happening at the Starwood Park Apartments where he lives, and his friends at school need his help. Is Freddie Ramos ready to be a hero?
In this imaginative new story by Jacqueline Jules, an ordinary boy in a city neighborhood learns how to use his new-found powers for good. Illustrations by Miguel Benitez lend just a touch of comic-book style to this chapter book adventure.
WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Designed for early readers, this chapter book includes frequent black-and-white cartoon illustrations featuring kids with outsized round heads...The few Spanish words establish the boy's ethnicity but will be understood in context...An unusually appealing early chapter book
With its cartoon-style black-and-white illustrations and mostly breezy text, this book is tailor-made for the chapter book set
Gr 2-3--Freddie has a single, overworked mom; a soldier father who never came home from war; and an unstable urban landscape in which to play. He finds a pair of winged sneakers that let him run so fast no one can see him, and as he tries to solve the mystery of the shoes' origins, he finds ways to be a hero to those around him. Black-and-white comic-book-style illustrations boost the story's energy and set Freddie up as a superhero. However, the impact of his speed falls a little flat as the author gets caught up in introducing the characters, leaving the bulk of the adventure for the ending. Young readers may lose patience waiting to get to the action. While Freddie fills a gap in most early chapter book collections as a Hispanic hero for new and reluctant readers, most children won't be clamoring for a sequel. "Sarah Townsend, Norfolk Public Library, VA"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.