Worst. Superhero. Ever. by Charlie Higson
Worst.Superhero.Ever. is the latest novel for younger readers by English actor, comedian and author Charlie Higson. Previously Higson has written for adults and the young adult cohort producing the post-apocalyptic series The Enemy and the first five novels of the Young Bond series. Worst.Superhero.Ever. (26 Nov 2024) is the hilarious sequel to Worst.Holiday.Ever. (4May 2021) suitable for primary years readers. Worst.Superhero.Ever. is also moving, thought-provoking and troubling because the reader lives through all the worries, catastrophes and triumphs through the first person narrative of Stan himself.
Twelve-year-old Stan sees himself as a 'shy little nerd'. After returning from his holiday in Italy he ends up auditioning for a role as Ollie, a shy nerd who turns into a Superhero called 'The Nerd' in a TV series called Teen team. He doesn't want the part but ends up being perfect for it and leaving school for a period of time in order to take part in the filming. At school he has good nerdy friends who hang out in the library taking part in Library Club. This group is planning to save the library by producing a film about a Superhero called Library Boy starring none other than Stan himself. The reader travels with Stan as he juggles school and life on a TV set.
Stan is gutsy and true to himself as he negotiates challenging social situations and workload. Of all the labels that people can have at school: geeks, freaks, dweebs, jocks, goths, preppies, hipsters, skaters, steampunks, drags, emos etc, he decides that he's a nerd. He is a nerd in real life and plays two other nerd characters on the film and TV series simultaneously. He navigates this with the help of his parents, friends, his girlfriend and film crew.Through Stan's eyes the reader learns a bit about what it takes to be in a film; about the hard work that happens behind the scenes and about navigating the social scene as well. One can tell that Higson is not a fan of social media. The premise of this story is based on a boy who falls foul of the internet. Because he (Charlie Chadwick) misuses social media, he is dismissed from starring in the series and hapless, innocent, nerdy Stan takes his place. Stan has to deal with fame and ultimately decides what he will do with his future and what he values.
Stan is a friendly, energetic and chatty first person narrator. At times he speaks directly to the reader suggesting that they try things like... 'You could look at it too (The fellowship of the ring), if you want to see what I'm talking about.' He invites the reader to find it on Youtube and count the number of shots in The Council of Elrond scene so they can see how many shots (close-up, wide etc) it takes to make a tiny bit of film. The young reader is encouraged to interact and engage in other ways besides reading and would feel that they are being taken on an adventure with a warm, funny and interesting friend.
Worst.Superhero.Ever. is structured and type-set to engage a reader who is progressing from graphic novels like Captain Underpants and Diary of a Wimpy Kid to extended prose novels. Warwick Johnson-Cadwell's illustrations head every chapter. The font is attractive and highly legible. There are many pages dedicated to Stan's lists and conversations are at times written as scripts with very wide spacing that adds interest for young readers.
Worst.Superhero.Ever. is a fun book where likeable, nerdy Stan engages readers and takes them on an adventure through school problems, to his lovely family, onto film sets and with his friends whilst all the time sharing his innermost thoughts and actions. There are some good messages in the book in relation to use of the internet and social media, true friendship, fame, wealth, schoolwork, the value of libraries and reading and family.
Themes: Film making, Fame, Social media, Friendship, Being true to yourself, Family.
Wendy Jeffrey