The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman Superhero) [Hardcover]

Greg Trine (Author), Rhode Montijo (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Melvin Beederman Superhero

Bad guys tremble at the sound of his name!

Meet Melvin Beederman. He's a pretty good superhero, even though it always takes him five or six tries to get launched and flying. His weakness (every superhero has one) is bologna, which makes it hard to go into a deli. Still, Melvin manages to keep the city of Los Angeles free of nasty villains--once he's airborne.

Crash! Splat! Thud! Kabonk!

This series has it all: hilarious story lines, amazing classic-comic-inspired illustrations, fearless new superheroes, and SNACKS!
Bad guys tremble at the sound of his name!
Melvin loves fighting crime in Los Angeles, until the McNasty Brothers, the baddest guys of all, start robbing banks--and Melvin's superpowers mysteriously disappear. Enter Candace, a third-grade actress with some surprising new talents. Once they team up, nothing can beat these partners in uncrime. Nothing but bologna, that is . . .

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4 Melvin Beederman, graduate of the Superhero Academy, is sent by Headmaster Spinner to Los Angeles, a city in desperate need of a superhero. Although not perfect (he usually needs five or six tries to leap tall buildings and his X-ray vision causes him to see everyone's underwear), Melvin is a force to be reckoned with. In Curse, he meets Candace Brinkwater when the cleaners accidentally send his superhero cape home with her. They agree to work together to take on the evil (and odoriferous) McNasty brothers. When the villains attempt to sap his strength with bologna (Melvin's weakness), the superhero overcomes them, and, in an action-packed chase, stops a speeding train (with a little help from Candace) and takes them to the police. In Revenge, the superheroes once again foil the McNasty family when the siblings break out of jail. When Melvin and Candace are imprisoned in a warehouse with 6000 pounds of bologna, all seems lost. In the end, however, they are able to think their way out of the dilemma and, once again, defeat the McNastys. The black-and-white cartoons lend action and humor to the already rollicking text. Trine and Montijo have given readers an appealing superhero and his trusty assistant. These delightfully entertaining adventure stories are a must-have for most libraries. Rebecca Sheridan, Easttown Library & Information Center, Berwyn, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Praise for Melvin Beederman:

"A fun, flighty caper. Slyly sprinkled with borrowings from superhero tales and packed with kid-pleasing yucks, this copiously and comically illustrated tale is sufficiently full of baloney to fly."
--Publishers Weekly

 

"Trine's fast-paced, humorous new series will capture the hearts of bright new readers."

--Jody Fickes Shapiro, Adventures for Kids, Ventura, CA

(from summer 2006 Booksense Children's Picks)

 

"Trine and Montijo have given readers an appealing superhero and his trusty assistant. These delightfully entertaining adventure stories are a must-have for most libraries."

--School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805079289
• ISBN-13: 978-0805079289
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,409,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Greg Trine is the author of the Melvin Beederman Superhero series of chapter books published by Henry Holt and Company. His first young adult novel, His Boy Elroy, will be available in the fall of 2010. When he is not writing funny books for kids and teens, Greg can usually be found in the vicinity of chocolate...and sometimes ice cream. He lives in California with his wife and daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher's Grade: A-, July 25, 2006

By 

N. Bilmes "bookaholic" (Vernon, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman Superhero (Quality)) (Paperback)

I'm going into my 13th year teaching second grade, and I'm always on the lookout for new books that will appeal to my reluctant readers and get them excited to read. The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich is just that kind of book. With funny pictures, action-packed chapters, and lots of references to underwear and other silly things, the kids in my class will be fighting to get ahold of this book. If there were a Newbury Award given to books for drawing in new readers, this book would be a finalist.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cure for Relunctant Readers!, June 6, 2007

By 

K. L. Jones (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman Superhero (Quality)) (Paperback)

I read to my 8-year-old son every night, and Melvin Beederman is the first character who has my child begging for more reading time. He loves these books! We've read the entire series now and enjoyed every minute - my child even wants to reread them all. If your son hates to read, or thinks most books are boring, you will be thrilled with the Melvin Beederman series. These books are funny, engaging and appealing to boys, but they are not crude. (Moms and dads will actually enjoy reading these books out loud.) Highly recommended for relunctant readers!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Superhero, July 8, 2006

By 

Mel Odom (Moore, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Curse of the Bologna Sandwich (Melvin Beederman Superhero) (Hardcover)

Recently graduated from Superhero Academy, Melvin Beederman is assigned to Los Angeles by Headmaster Spinner. As an orphan who was left on the steps of the Academy, Melvin doesn't have a family to go home to -- or a house to live in. Since finding a headquarters to operate out of is one of the first things he's supposed to do according to the Superheroes' Code, he takes up residence in an abandoned tree house and goes out at once to fight crime. During that pursuit, he ends up getting his uniform dirty and has to take it to the cleaners. His cape gets mixed up with someone else's temporarily, but he ends up with a new partner to help him with his crime patrols. Unfortunately, he also ends up falling victim to the nefarious plans of the evil, all-around bad guy McNasty Brothers, who have learned Melvin's secret weakness from an unofficial Melvin Beederman website. Can Melvin overcome the bad guys? Will he save the day? Readers have to turn the pages to find out!

The Melvin Beederman series presents author Greg Trine's first books. Illustrator Rhode Montijo has also written and illustrated CLOUD BOY.

THE CURSE OF THE BOLOGNA sandwich sets up the Melvin Beederman series fabulously. From Melvin's humble background, the beliefs of the superhero school, to his superhero hideout, readers get to learn out this legend-in-the-making gets his start. The writing lends itself easily to reading aloud to youngers who may be reluctant readers, and funny enough that adults doing the reading may end up chuckling again and again at Melvin's actions and the author's witty commentary. The chapters are short and concise and provide plenty of stopping areas. However most readers won't want to stop, hooked on each development of the story.

This book is recommended to anyone who loves the idea of superheroes, and to parents who love to read fun books to their kids. Kids and parents who are looking for something slightly older than the Nate the Great books but just as fun will find the Melvin Beederman series a great experience.