LitPick Review
Superpowers by Fredric Neuman is the story of Chipper, a frail, asthmatic, pitied high school student who is given the choice of a lifetime. After the passing of his loving mother, Chipper meets Hal, an eccentric, otherworldly being with a very unique wardrobe. Hal grants Chipper the choice of any one and only one, superpower. Chipper must weigh this difficult choice while also coming to terms with his mom's death and the life she left behind. This is even more difficult with a distant father, few career prospects, and frequent asthma attacks. However, Chipper takes it all in stride with his group of friends, showing that the weakest of bodies may hold the strongest of hearts.
Opinion:
Despite the good intentions of the book to shed a humorous light on important societal issues, the incredibly loose structured narrative is very distracting to the reader. Inner monologue and scene description are mashed together with no consistency. This makes the attempts at humor fall flat. This flow also causes the development and description of characters to leave much to be desired. Where Chipper begins to describe the quirks of his friends soon turns into incessant rambling. This poorly written story ultimately diminishes any lasting impact from themes or morals. There are certainly important issues that young adults will debate, but it's hard to be inspired by these topics when they are delivered at a significantly lower reading level.
