Customer Reviews

Super Mom Saves the World

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Take some high heels, an amazing apron, and the power to clean with 20,000 Swiffers. Add special appearances by Ryan Seacrest, Mr. Clean, the Scrubbing Bubbles, and a villain named The Phantom of the Bullpen. Throw in a lot of humor with a pinch of sarcasm, some romance, a lot of adventure, a handsome yet nerdy fiance, a suddenly-attentive ex-husband, and three surly teenagers.

That's right, Birdie Lee (aka Super Mom) is back. Fresh from saving Astro Park from the evil snack-producing corporation, she continues to work hard to keep teenagers safe from themselves and the streets free of litter. And she's grossly under-appreciated. Aren't most moms?

Birdie is facing a new challenge - a giant Sports Dome being built in Astro Park, and an over-zealous mayor whose greatest wish is a winning Little League team. Along the way, she's planning a wedding, fending off advances from her ex, Doctor Dan, and raising two teenagers. Who said this superhero stuff was easy?

I thoroughly enjoyed Super Mom Saves the World. Melanie Hauser has a witty way with words (evidenced by her blog) and can tug at the heart-strings at the same time. Super Mom deals with the same issues all moms do: letting our children go a little more each day, carving out time for ourselves, cooking and cleaning and carpooling and... And she does it with grace and humor. I can't wait to find out what Super Mom is up to next.

Melanie Lynne has done it again, with her mix of realism, romance, adventure, comedy, and fantasy. Loved the steroids bit and the Phantom of the Bullpen and Our She-ro's engagement to the Clark-Kentesque Carl, as well as daugyhter Kelly's teenage ups and downs and her also Clark-Kentesque teen son's Martin's case of the sparks for a teenage news reporter. Bravo! Hoping for a third installment. And I had no issues with the whole Mr. Clean-Scrubbing Bubbles thing

Super Mom, the newest member of the Justice League of America, has a lot on her plate in this second installment in Melanie Lynne Hauser's series featuring Birdie Lee, mild-mannered grocery clerk turned über-Frau. Having gained her extraordinary powers in book one after a Horrible Swiffer Accident--Birdie can clean with the power of ten thousand Swiffers--she finds her powers suddenly upgraded this time around, a mixed blessing, it turns out, as Super Smell can have its drawbacks. With great power comes great responsibility, of course, and Birdie finds a new nemesis or two stirring up trouble in Astro Park, the evil plot of the moment connected with the construction of an over-sized, domed stadium for the town's Little Leaguers. More interesting than Birdie's super-difficulties, however, are the more mundane issues she faces as an ex-wife and mother: her children are growing up--and dating and driving and shutting her out and fraternizing with undesirables--and her ex-husband Dan seems to be on the rebound after a second failed marriage. Meanwhile, Birdie's relationship with nerdy scientist Carl brings its own complications into her life.

The Super Mom books are an interesting mix. In part Hauser offers comic book fantasy, with over-the-top bad guys, in jokes for the superheroically literate (e.g., journalists Jimmy Nelson and Lois Blane), and action scenes in which Super Mom uses her cleaning powers to thwart evildoers. But on top of this cartoony infrastructure Hauser builds a more serious, quite realistic story. And this is where her writing shines, where it is downright poignant at times, when she explores the complicated relationships within families, and in particular the changing dynamics between mothers and their growing children. Humor mixed with heartache. In this outing Hauser does an excellent job, too, of exploring Birdie and her son's developing relationships with Carl's son Greg.

I do have two complaints about the book, one substantial and one...born of disgust. Taking the latter first: there are two occasions in the story in which Birdie--a sworn enemy, remember, of sticky spills and dust and germs, a woman who passes out Wet Naps while crime fighting--in which she...well, I'll let the passages speak for themselves:

"'Birdie.' His arms tightened around me. 'Do you have any idea how much I love you?' I nodded. Then blew my nose on the sleeve of his shirt" (p. 24).

"I blew my nose on the sleeve of his shirt, because I knew he wouldn't mind. And he didn't. He just laughed and wiped it off on the sleeve of my shirt" (p. 63).

He didn't mind?! In what alternate universe is blowing one's nose on the habiliments of one's paramour appropriate behavior? I'm still shuddering over this.

Secondly, I worry that Hauser has jumped the shark in introducing advertising icons such as Mr. Clean into her story as real-life entities. To me part of the strength of the Super Mom story lay in introducing a little bit of fantasy into the otherwise banal world of a more-or-less average house(ex)wife. I am able to accept (a little unwillingly, actually) the existence of the Justice League of America in Super Mom's universe, but for me, at least, positing the real-life existence of the Scrubbing Bubbles and the magical cleaning world they inhabit goes too far. I would implore Hauser to rein in this particular fantasy in her next installment.

And I would advise readers to seek out the author's blog Refrigerator Door, where she writes regularly and with great humor about her own family life and her experiences as a writer.

[Disclaimer: Since reading Melanie Lynne Hauser's first book I have come to know the author a bit, virtually, through our respective blogs, and I in fact have her to thank for my copy of this book. I hope that our acquaintance has not influenced my review.]

Debra Hamel -- author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece (Yale University Press, 2003)

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Mild mannered grocery store clerk by day, Birdie Lee is Super Mom by night! And any other hours necessary because as we know, being a mom is a 24 hour a day job. In Melanie Lynne Hauser's sequel to Confessions of Super Mom, we are in for more complications and fun than ever before as Birdie gets engaged, her daughter gets a driver's license and her ex-husband, Doctor Dan decides he wants to get back together.

Adding to the quagmire, Super Mom is feeling under-appreciated for her past good deeds to say the least. By closing down an evil empire brainwashing the town's children, she also caused an unemployment problem and some of the citizens would rather Super Mom took her apron and high heels for a hike. Now when Super Mom discovers a serious problem with the new Little League stadium being built, the town and especially the mayor wants her to buzz off. She has a new bucket headed villain taking her on, and only the power of 10,000 Swiffers can save the day. Until another accident happens and Super Mom acquires a new super sniffer power and her cleaning power of 10,000 Swiffers is increased to 20,000! Being able to smell the sweat on a snail makes things just that much more interesting. But will her new foe be a match for her new and improved powers?

I did enjoy Super Mom even more this go round. While the first book was enjoyable, it had a bit of an elementary feel to it as characters and their wacky antics were established. Super Mom Saves the World keeps things light and playful while tackling some tougher, yet familiar issues to us all. With a nice foundation of characters to build on, Super Mom Saves the World still has a lot of fun and a smidge more substance.

While this wasn't thought provoking prose by any means, it was an entertaining and humorous way to spend a weekend. Tolstoy is wonderful and you feel smarter just by opening the cover of War and Peace, but there are times when it's nice to unplug and lose yourself without straining your brain.

Mother's everywhere can relate to feeling like their job of taking care of their home and family just aren't appreciated. The sometimes comic trials and tribulations Super Mom goes through provide readers with a nice fantasy while still being easy to identify with. There was at least a small degree of believability for a reference point for those of us who don't wear a cape.

For a well deserved break, why not spend some time saving the world with Super Mom? Let Mr. Clean and the Scrubbing Bubbles handle it on their own for a while.

Super Mom is saving the world again, one villainous chore at a time. If you loved Melanie Lynne Hauser's first book, Confessions of Super Mom, then this follow-up is sure to delight with its generous helpings of humor, clever observations, and practical advice. There's also a bit of [...] tossed in to keep it all moving. Hauser has a wonderful way with words, turning a mom's everyday occurrences into adventures and belly laughs.

Birdie, aka Super Mom, once again saves the day and a whole lot more as she battles The Phantom of the Bullpen with gusto. Never one to run from a confrontation, this time Birdie takes on her hometown's corrupt mayor and his tag-along cousin. All the while, she's tackling the truly big dilemmas, like making sure kids don't speed or drink on prom night, and putting the fun back into little league.

Along the way, Birdie learns to accept the fact that her daughter Kelly is growing up, learning to drive, and making decisions on her own. Her son Martin is working through a bout of teenage angst, and wants neither her guidance nor motherly love. And then there's the ex-husband who is suddenly making advances, and trying to re-kindle the old flame, while her current beau wants to marry her. It's the balance that Hauser creates between the day-to-day challenges faced by Super Mom and her superhero activities that keeps the pages turning.

Birdie finds all the right answers, and once again sets everything right. The only disappointment for readers comes when we have to leave Birdie and her complicated world behind. A funny, entertaining, quick read.

She can bring home the bacon,
Fry it up in the pan,
Get the kids to soccer
In her perfect minivan...

She's Super Mom, of course. Who else? Unappreciated, overworked, and unable to resist cleaning up after people, Super Mom gives us a peek inside our overachieving selves.
Birdie Lee, a.k.a. Super Mom, has her heart in the right place. Saving the world as she knows it, her hometown of Astro Park, involves watching her unathletic son survive Little League baseball, helping her daughter find a prom dress to complement her newly pink-streaked hair, and fighting off a desperate pass by her ex-husband, all while helping the PTA compete with the local Shriners in the quest to raise funds. And that's just in between shifts ridding the world of injustice!
I identify with Birdie when she's cautiously teaching her daughter to drive and dealing with her son's adolescence, an experience that even homebaked cookies doesn't cure. Her discomfort with the transfer of funds from the arts to Astro Park's new sports complex is all too real in many school districts. But at the same time, I have to laugh at her motherly reactions.
"Kelly Maria Lee, when I am done keeping the world safe for democracy, you are going to be grounded. Do you understand? You didn't use your turn signals once!"
And as she and her family frantically separate for the final chase scene: "Be careful, don't talk to strangers, and look both ways when you're crossing the street!"
Gotta love it. She sounds just like me.
Supermoms of the world, take a break and read Super Mom Saves the World. You deserve it.

Birdie Lee, the divorced mother of two, suffered a Horrible Swiffer Accident in the first book Melanie wrote, Confessions of a Super Mom. The Horrible Swiffer Accident turned meek housefrau Birdie from a divorcee wondering how she could ever have pleased her obnoxious ex-husband Dr. Dan who hated the very notion she was a supermarket checker, into a Superhero that already saved her small Kansas town of Astro Park in Confessions of a Supermom.

Supermom Saves the Day begins with Birdie still in love with Carl the geeky scientist, and yet another Horrible Swiffer Accident. Due to what she calls the Horrible Swiffer Accident she has been gifted with super powers. Super Mom Powers to be exact. She can clean a house lickety-split with no effort at all. She can detect exactly what is on a kid's breath, whether it's alcohol or tobacco. Her super powers have left her a dynamo in the bedroom, too, as she discovers with her new love, Carl.

She's also a card carrying member of the Justice League of America, a peer of Batman and Superman. Yet she knows that no one ever wonders if it's Batman's or Superman's "time of the month" when either of them get riled up over injustice in their cities. Birdie is a Superhero, but she doesn't have much respect. She's the Rodney Dangerfield of Superheros.

Her duties as a mom and Superhero lead Birdie into yet another curious situation in Astro Park regarding the new stadium the Mayor has built for the local football them. Something about the stadium set off Birdie's alarms and she begins to investigate, which sets into motion a fantastic plot to make huge profits and getting rid of Supermom for good. Shadowy characters behind the Mayor lead Birdie and the entire town into terrible danger, but her superhuman powers save the town once again.

On the surface, this book is a light tale of superpowers and pathetic crooks. But underneath the story lies the real plot, the everyday life of a suburban mom involved in too much PTA fundraising, living with her suddenly moody teenage son, and her daughter who has befriended a girl Birdie doesn't know well and doesn't like at all. Birdie loves her Starbucks coffee, and can't stand some of the PTA moms that take the PTA fundraising a bit too seriously. She's the kind of mom you can see yourself sharing a Caramel Macciato and a good gossip with in your local Starbucks, if she only had the time.

Birdie is dealing with her ex-husband who is a manipulative jerk, and the possibility of a blended family as she and Carl plan their marriage and their future life with three teens that aren't particularly fond of each other.

Birdie addresses the important issues of motherhood, dealing with neighborhood kids with lousy parents, her son's first love, and her daughter's first driving license. But she does so with the power of a superhero, and the love of her small suburban town.

Melanie has created a character that resonates with mothers everywhere. Birdie is often harried, confused, and overwhelmed by her busy life and all the challanges that whirl around her. I identify with Birdie when she's cautiously teaching her daughter to drive her minivan and dealing with her son's adolescence as he falls in love with a peach smelling girl, an experience that even homebaked cookies doesn't cure. Her discomfort with the transfer of funds from the arts to Astro Park's new sports complex is commonplace in so many school districts. Birdie is the kind of mom that never stops being a mom, even in the midst of her crimefighting and saving the world. You can't find a better character than that!

This book is funny, witty and all around great. Couldn't put it down. As good as the first.

Since the Horrible Swiffer Accident, Birdie Lee's life has undergone a dramatic change, from mild-mannered cashier/divorced mother of two to all that plus a secret identity as Super Mom, fearless defender of truth, justice, and the clean way. Though it's a tiring, dirty job, she has to do it. At least now she has a boyfriend and a membership in the JLA. Then, things start to really get weird. Suddenly, Mr. Clean is flirting with her and the scrubbing bubbles are purring at her, making her appear insane. However, that's not her biggest worry. There's something rotten at the new domed stadium and with the Little League team. At the risk of inciting public disfavor, Super Mom has to find out what. Fortunately, she's had a second Swiffer incident, so she's got even more power. But, with great power, comes a great amount of headaches.

**** Like Confessions of Super Mom, this is a fun read that is spot on with its humorous observations about life. Ms. Hauser's puns, hyperbole, and hidden in-jokes gives this story intelligent wit with a heart. ****

Birdie "Super Mom" Lee feels it is her duty to keep the world, at least that of her hometown of Astro park, safe from super villains, usually that denotes corrupt politicians. When Birdie must battle these evil doers, she uses super powers of squirting cleaning fluid from her fingertips and forcing the truth out of suspects and her two teen offspring Kelly and Martin with the Merciless Gaze. That she uses when she works the grocery store cash register. She wonders how superheroes save the world without breaking a nail when she struggles to keep Astro Park safe.

Scientist Carl Sayers is attracted to Birdie, but she fears any relationship having been devastated by her remarried husband filing for divorce again from number two ex spouse Doctor Dan. Instead Birdie tries to keep her kids, her community and her heart safe. Still defying physics by persisting, Carl and Birdie begin dating over the objections of their respective children and her former husband. Meanwhile Birdie believes the politicians have done it again with a new stadium that has enhanced bankbooks and filled the little league ballpark with steroids.

The latest adventure of Supermom is a fun satirical tale that lampoons superheroes, politicians, and suburban soccer make that security make that scandal moms. The story line is lighthearted fun as Birdie lives up the title at least in her "world" by cleaning evil and crooked creeps from her hometown while also falling in love.

Harriet Klausner