The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed [Library Binding]

William Boniface (Author), Stephen Gilpin (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy

In the town of Superopolis, everyone has a superpower. Everyone, that is, except Ordinary Boy. But things are not so super in Superopolis these days with the evil Professor Brain-Drain on the loose! To make matters worse, Ordinary Boy and his friends are thrown into the middle of a baffling mystery. Forget the regular superheroes. In a city where everyone is extraordinary, this just might be a job for . . . Ordinary Boy.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7–This first book in a new series is great fun, and readers will zip through it faster than a speeding bullet. Ordinary Boy lives in Superopolis, where he appears to be the only citizen with no superpowers at all. Of course O Boy's friends don't have an easy time themselves. His best friend, Stench, possesses mighty strength, but every time he uses it he emits a…well, he lives up to his name. Halogen Boy can glow brightly, but unfortunately he's far from the brightest bulb in the box. The greatest of them all is the Amazing Indestructo, and O Boy is his greatest fan. But a strange plot involving collector cards, million-dollar promotional contracts, and Indestructo's greatest adversary, Professor Brain-Drain, shake O Boy's faith in his hero–in a hilarious way. Along the way, readers who are paying attention will see that O Boy might not be so ordinary after all. Boniface wields a cynical, but definitely kid-friendly, sense of humor, and Gilpin's illustrations are sharp and witty. Kids who love comic books, superhero animations, and graphic novels will enjoy this story.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Ordinary Boy is the only resident of Superopolis, a city of heroes, who doesn't have superpowers. He is part of the Junior Leaguers team that includes Halogen Boy, whose glowing ability depends on his consumption of apple juice; Plasma Girl, who can transform into a jellylike substance; and Stench, notable for passing overpowering gas. Ordinary Boy's personal hero is the Amazing Indestructo, the self-proclaimed greatest hero of Superopolis, who is the leader of the League of Ultimate Goodness. When the Junior Leaguers get the opportunity to help the Amazing Indestructo foil the sinister plans of villainous Professor Brain-Drain, Ordinary Boy realizes that even without superpowers, he can still do extraordinary things. Ordinary Boy's narrative is interspersed with pages from the Li'l Heroes Handbook, offering brief profiles on characters and places in the story. Fast-paced and silly, this first title in the Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series will appeal to fans of Captain Underpants in search of new adventures. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 304 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (May 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060774657
• ISBN-13: 978-0060774653
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,617,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Five Star Book, July 1, 2006

By 

Kylie Gross "Ky" (South Dakota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed (Hardcover)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy is an excellent book. Its dry humor will give young adults some good laughs, while the characters and setting will captivate younger audiences. The plot is easy to follow for children but contains a vocabulary that encourages expanding the mind. Ordinary Boy and his friends are smart and energetic, leading readers through an exciting adventure that will keep them turning the pages. Kids of all ages will get a kick out of this book.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book got my 10yr old to read a book on his own, May 12, 2007

By 

C. R. Torre "CTea" (Washington, NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed (Hardcover)

Great book. The characters are very creative. There are pictures of the charaters too.

The storyline is about trading cards. My 10yr old son can totally relate and couldn't put the book down. Not only did he read, he understood the excitement of finding "THE" card everyone in the book was looking for.

Just a note, I could not find this book in any bookstore in my area, which really surprised me because it's a great read and it's hard to find such great & interesting stories for boys. So Kudo's to Amazon.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oh, Joy! A Book Boys will WANT to read!!, October 20, 2007

By 

Mom of Sons (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1: The Hero Revealed (Hardcover)

My 11-year-old read this book over a weekend. He raved about it. Yes - I said my 11-year-old SON raved about a book. It isn't easy to find books boys will like these days, especially after they've finished all their Harry Potters. I'll be getting #2 Ordinary Boy asap.