Power of Flight (Super You! #1)

Khan (Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun) and Menotti's (How Many Jelly Beans?) ambitious Pick-Your-Path Adventure series opener explores myriad routes that readers--who operate as the protagonist--can take while navigating recently developed superpowers. As part of the elite Summer Science Academy the protagonist is attending, they visit a center for avian science. When their class gets split up into pairs, the main character follows their partner, an aloof girl named Alex, into a restricted area and discovers a mysterious silver-feathered bird. After the bird scratches the protagonist's hand, they develop a fever and wake the next day with the capability of flight. Readers are presented with a plethora of options for what to do next, with each scenario resulting in its own story, providing a unique experience for every individual read. Labat's (DC Super Hero Girls: Ghosting) graphic b&w ink illustrations and bold speech bubbles add a classic comic-book feel to this madcap adventure and its oftentimes intense resolutions, many of which involve falling from high places and breaking several bones. While its conclusions are often not as fanciful as its premise, this volume proves a quirky addition to the superhero genre. Ages 8-12. (May)

The story opens at a science summer camp for kids. On a field trip to an aviary, the reader is scratched by a strange bird with a sign on its cage that says Cumberley. Following the scratch, fever and illness kick in for about a day. After emerging from the unknown illness, the reader has the sudden urge to fly! Following a short flying stint around the camp's wooded area, the camp nurse sees what she thinks is the main character flying. Choices are now presented to the reader from here on out. Some of them take the reader back to the aviary and others to a lab where flying potions and antidotes are being created. Each scenario pushes the story in a different direction. Some pages lead to a quick ending, some lead to demise. One path leads to victory in which the reader is an ultimate hero, and yet another path will lead to total destruction, in which the reader is a complete villain. Comic book-style illustrations are scattered throughout and will enrich the story. Pacing is relatively quick and will engage readers and challenge them to go back and perhaps even try a different route to see what other options are presented. VERDICT Creativity and adventure soar in this flying fantasy. Recommended for middle grade shelves where students with questioning minds take flight.—Tracy Cronce