Super Zero

January 1, 2009
Gr 1-4-This bland graphic novel takes a young nerd and makes him into the stumbling yet indestructible Zinc Alloy. Zack Allen is tormented by bulliesuntil he uses a comic book to construct a robot suit of copper and zinc. Despite being slammed into a tunnel, the boy wonder saves a speeding train and then returns to face the bullies. Children will cheer for Zack when he faces down his schoolyard adversaries but will not be chuckling along during his adventures. The prose is stilted and the jokes are clichéd. However, the art moves the story energetically along. There are better "zero to hero" stories, such as Frank Cammuso's "Knights of the Lunch Table" (Scholastic, 2008)."Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT"

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