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Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age
Jimmy Wheeler wants to be a normal 16 year old boy and fit in at school, date girls, and just have a normal life.
But, he's superhero with a lame superpower--he sticks to things but can't get himself unstuck without help.
After a fiasco in the grocery store with the supervillain, Vinyl Man, Esmeralda Flinch, CEO of the Women's Trade Federation, manipulates Jimmy into joining her in a mission. He is to attend an elite boarding school as Jerry Faulkner and assist Esmeralda in kidnapping the 16 year old daughter of the despotic president of Burgerslovegia.
Eventually kidnapped, himself, he spends a summer of body building and training in martial arts, Jimmy gets the confidence and the skills he has always wanted but is obligated to Esmeralda to carry out the assignment. Does he have the heart to be a supervillian or will he save the girl, instead?
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age is a lighthearted adventure with equal helpings of teenage conflict, friendship, and first kisses.
Join Jimmy Wheeler, The Flypaper Boy, as he learns there is more to his power than just sticking to things, and more to responsibility than just doing what others expect of you.
But, he's superhero with a lame superpower--he sticks to things but can't get himself unstuck without help.
After a fiasco in the grocery store with the supervillain, Vinyl Man, Esmeralda Flinch, CEO of the Women's Trade Federation, manipulates Jimmy into joining her in a mission. He is to attend an elite boarding school as Jerry Faulkner and assist Esmeralda in kidnapping the 16 year old daughter of the despotic president of Burgerslovegia.
Eventually kidnapped, himself, he spends a summer of body building and training in martial arts, Jimmy gets the confidence and the skills he has always wanted but is obligated to Esmeralda to carry out the assignment. Does he have the heart to be a supervillian or will he save the girl, instead?
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age is a lighthearted adventure with equal helpings of teenage conflict, friendship, and first kisses.
Join Jimmy Wheeler, The Flypaper Boy, as he learns there is more to his power than just sticking to things, and more to responsibility than just doing what others expect of you.
357 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 29, 2013
8 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 16, 2014
Flypaper Boy is someone you'll grow to love. He's a great character that was really fun to root for as the story unfolded. I know, it sounds like he's a superhero with cheesy powers right? And he is, at first. As you read this, as titled, coming of age story it stretches out with the character into much more than you might be expecting from this book. I'm not going to give anything away in this review, but the story grows with the protagonist and reaches out into some very cool places.
I have a soft spot for coming of age books. They tend to be my favorite. I think that's because in a good book the main character goes through a big change and what change suits a life more than transitioning from a kid to an adult? Right off the bat you start with a great hook. Here's the opening line:
Jimmy lay in a car, probably in the trunk, his head resting against what felt like the wheel well, and his arms secured behind him.
The author Philip Carroll wastes no time easing you into the story world but instead leads with the inciting incident flinging you into action right as the story begins. You get some great breathing time after that as the character deals with his new and strange environment. The back story is sprinkled through so you get to know more about Jimmy as you see him begin to learn new things and grow as a person. You're not sure where the story is going to go and it seems like the protagonist is going to be stuck in his new home forever, then everything changes. As you're launched into act two you discover a whole new world with the main character. I don't want to give it away but if you look at the cover art, which I created by the way, there are clues. Jimmy makes new friends and some pretty bad enemies.
I was really engaged during the action scenes in this book and there were many. They became more fun and intense as Jimmy learns how to use his powers. The relationships between the characters were very important in this book too. It does a good job dealing with teenage love with the hormones and feelings teens have treated realistically and yet there are no inappropriate scenes. It doesn't ignore the tension felt between the male and female characters and there are some intimate scenes but never more than kissing. I appreciated that and it makes this book that much more appealing for parents to get this book for their kids. This was a great book for me, a guy in his early 30s, and it will be a great book for teenagers too. The main character goes through a lot of the stuff they're going through and if they're like me when I was a teenager the fact that this book has a character with super powers will really draw them in. Most dads like super heroes so they'll like it too just as I did.
There were a lot of characters in this book and I loved them all. In the case of the bad guys I loved to hate them. I liked how this book about teenagers was not void of adults. There were a lot of adult characters too and while most weren't main characters they still played a critical role in the life of the protagonist. I appreciated that too and I think most parents will be happy to read a story that is all about the teens but the adults aren't bumbling idiots who get in the way. More like real life they're there to offer help and advice when the teens are dealing with stuff. Grab this book for yourself and then buy a copy for a teenager you know. You and they will really dig it. I know I did.
I have a soft spot for coming of age books. They tend to be my favorite. I think that's because in a good book the main character goes through a big change and what change suits a life more than transitioning from a kid to an adult? Right off the bat you start with a great hook. Here's the opening line:
Jimmy lay in a car, probably in the trunk, his head resting against what felt like the wheel well, and his arms secured behind him.
The author Philip Carroll wastes no time easing you into the story world but instead leads with the inciting incident flinging you into action right as the story begins. You get some great breathing time after that as the character deals with his new and strange environment. The back story is sprinkled through so you get to know more about Jimmy as you see him begin to learn new things and grow as a person. You're not sure where the story is going to go and it seems like the protagonist is going to be stuck in his new home forever, then everything changes. As you're launched into act two you discover a whole new world with the main character. I don't want to give it away but if you look at the cover art, which I created by the way, there are clues. Jimmy makes new friends and some pretty bad enemies.
I was really engaged during the action scenes in this book and there were many. They became more fun and intense as Jimmy learns how to use his powers. The relationships between the characters were very important in this book too. It does a good job dealing with teenage love with the hormones and feelings teens have treated realistically and yet there are no inappropriate scenes. It doesn't ignore the tension felt between the male and female characters and there are some intimate scenes but never more than kissing. I appreciated that and it makes this book that much more appealing for parents to get this book for their kids. This was a great book for me, a guy in his early 30s, and it will be a great book for teenagers too. The main character goes through a lot of the stuff they're going through and if they're like me when I was a teenager the fact that this book has a character with super powers will really draw them in. Most dads like super heroes so they'll like it too just as I did.
There were a lot of characters in this book and I loved them all. In the case of the bad guys I loved to hate them. I liked how this book about teenagers was not void of adults. There were a lot of adult characters too and while most weren't main characters they still played a critical role in the life of the protagonist. I appreciated that too and I think most parents will be happy to read a story that is all about the teens but the adults aren't bumbling idiots who get in the way. More like real life they're there to offer help and advice when the teens are dealing with stuff. Grab this book for yourself and then buy a copy for a teenager you know. You and they will really dig it. I know I did.
October 1, 2014
Flypaper Boy thinks his super power is lame. I mean really, what can a super hero do when his super power is sticking to things until someone comes along with some nail polish remover to free him. That is until he is kidnapped by bad guys and is forced to become a super villain. What is a good guy to do, when he has to use his powers for the forces of evil?
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age follows Jimmy Wheeler AKA Flypaper Boy on his first real adventure. This is a super hero book. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am really not that much of a super hero fan, but this book caught my attention and held it.
High school can be hard enough if you are different, harder still if you have to move to a new school. Through it all FlyPaper boy manages to keep his cool, remember his mission and stay true to his moral code.
Let's be honest here, Jim Wheeler is a teenaged boy, and he is surrounded by teenaged girls. He is going to notice them. He is going have feelings for some of them. But all the while he manages keep a lid on his hormones and and stick to his moral code, not only for being a hero, but also for being a human. That is one of my favorite parts of the book. Multiple times he is presented with opportunities where he could have taken advantage of the situation, and yet he never does.
This book is not so much about being a super hero, probably why I liked it despite my normal aversion to comic book super heroes, and much more about being a kid in a tough situation, trying to find his way through who happens to have super powers.
Mr. Carroll did a wonderful job, grabbing my attention and keeping it. His characters have depth, they have flaws, and they have to live life the best way they know how. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to sharing it with my kids.
A Note for parents: If you are looking for a good book to start the school year with, this is a good one. It is certainly safe for middle grade readers though probably older ones will appreciate it more. If they are still in the eeew boys / girls are yucky stage they might want to wait another year or two. And the book is aimed more at boys than girls, though I think girls will like it too.
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age follows Jimmy Wheeler AKA Flypaper Boy on his first real adventure. This is a super hero book. I have said it before and I will say it again, I am really not that much of a super hero fan, but this book caught my attention and held it.
High school can be hard enough if you are different, harder still if you have to move to a new school. Through it all FlyPaper boy manages to keep his cool, remember his mission and stay true to his moral code.
Let's be honest here, Jim Wheeler is a teenaged boy, and he is surrounded by teenaged girls. He is going to notice them. He is going have feelings for some of them. But all the while he manages keep a lid on his hormones and and stick to his moral code, not only for being a hero, but also for being a human. That is one of my favorite parts of the book. Multiple times he is presented with opportunities where he could have taken advantage of the situation, and yet he never does.
This book is not so much about being a super hero, probably why I liked it despite my normal aversion to comic book super heroes, and much more about being a kid in a tough situation, trying to find his way through who happens to have super powers.
Mr. Carroll did a wonderful job, grabbing my attention and keeping it. His characters have depth, they have flaws, and they have to live life the best way they know how. I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to sharing it with my kids.
A Note for parents: If you are looking for a good book to start the school year with, this is a good one. It is certainly safe for middle grade readers though probably older ones will appreciate it more. If they are still in the eeew boys / girls are yucky stage they might want to wait another year or two. And the book is aimed more at boys than girls, though I think girls will like it too.
October 10, 2014
I just finished reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down! I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. I have read several books before where I would read the same paragraph over and over again, and just couldn't get into the story. Not with this one, I was engaged with every chapter! I can't wait to read the next book by this author!!!
October 31, 2014
I thought it was GREAT.It really made me want to just drop everything and read it. I love how they were superheros and villains too.It was AMAZING I told all my friends to read it! It was such a creative book and all I can say is I LOVED it!!!!!!
June 19, 2024
What do you do with the world's lamest superpower? For starters, you end your first mission getting kidnapped by the bad guys who are determined to brainwash and blackmail you into becoming their next pet supervillain. They're going to provide you with all the training you need, teach you to fight properly, put you through a strength-building regiment fit for the special forces. Not to mention the company of a beautiful girl who makes you the sole object of her attentions. When you're 16, you figure you can handle it. Nothing they can do will prevent you from being a hero.
When it turns out they want you to kidnap the teenage daughter of an Eastern European communist leader. It's for her own good, and it will help rescue the entire country. When it's put that way, it doesn't seem like the bad guys are quite so bad.
Flypaper Boy nails the title dead on. This is a coming of age story for Jimmy in many different ways. He's a teenager learning what it means to be an adult. He's an agent in training learning what it costs to enter a world of deception. He's a kid with a superpower learning that power doesn't automatically make him a hero. Most importantly, he's a young man learning that compromise begins with the words "That's not so bad," and ends with a cost that can never be recovered.
At the end of the day, compromise is what this story is really all about. What are you prepared to give up for what is right? What are you prepared to suffer? What are you prepared to let others suffer? And what are you ready to do to someone else if it's for their own good? Those can be some scary questions, and most of us will never have to face the answers in any tangible form, much less confront them as directly as does Jimmy.
The overall lesson, of course, is that powers don't make a hero. A hero is made by the strength of their spirit, the consistency of their discipline, and their willingness to pursue what is right. These are the proper and weighty elements of a comin-of-age story.
But's also a superhero story about a kid whose power is that he sticks to things - and can't get unstuck. For every moment of weighty angst, we get a scene of Jimmy unable to let go of a soda cup and worried the straw is going to stick to his lips. His world is out of his control in so many ways. Jimmy's coping mechanism is to journal his experience by turning his story into panels of comic art. It's a smooth and subtle reminder that he's not really as put together as he seems, and that this is, in-fact, a comic book novel.
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age is a little sentimental, a little off the wall, a little idealistic, a little directionless, and more than a little bit thoughtful. It's a lot like a teenage boy, and it's all heart. If you're a fan of teen fiction, light-hearted superhero stories, or want a hero that doesn't have all the answers, this is for you.
When it turns out they want you to kidnap the teenage daughter of an Eastern European communist leader. It's for her own good, and it will help rescue the entire country. When it's put that way, it doesn't seem like the bad guys are quite so bad.
Flypaper Boy nails the title dead on. This is a coming of age story for Jimmy in many different ways. He's a teenager learning what it means to be an adult. He's an agent in training learning what it costs to enter a world of deception. He's a kid with a superpower learning that power doesn't automatically make him a hero. Most importantly, he's a young man learning that compromise begins with the words "That's not so bad," and ends with a cost that can never be recovered.
At the end of the day, compromise is what this story is really all about. What are you prepared to give up for what is right? What are you prepared to suffer? What are you prepared to let others suffer? And what are you ready to do to someone else if it's for their own good? Those can be some scary questions, and most of us will never have to face the answers in any tangible form, much less confront them as directly as does Jimmy.
The overall lesson, of course, is that powers don't make a hero. A hero is made by the strength of their spirit, the consistency of their discipline, and their willingness to pursue what is right. These are the proper and weighty elements of a comin-of-age story.
But's also a superhero story about a kid whose power is that he sticks to things - and can't get unstuck. For every moment of weighty angst, we get a scene of Jimmy unable to let go of a soda cup and worried the straw is going to stick to his lips. His world is out of his control in so many ways. Jimmy's coping mechanism is to journal his experience by turning his story into panels of comic art. It's a smooth and subtle reminder that he's not really as put together as he seems, and that this is, in-fact, a comic book novel.
Flypaper Boy: Coming of Age is a little sentimental, a little off the wall, a little idealistic, a little directionless, and more than a little bit thoughtful. It's a lot like a teenage boy, and it's all heart. If you're a fan of teen fiction, light-hearted superhero stories, or want a hero that doesn't have all the answers, this is for you.
June 19, 2019
Just Enough
I never fully got into this book. I like Jimmy/Jerry enough but his character was hard to follow. He was very composed for a teenage boy and had no trouble expressing his emotions and thoughts. I've never meet a teenager like that so it wasn't very believable. The superhero aspect was confusing, how it was government controlled but no one seemed to know much about it. The villains seemed to have everything well planned and organized so I have no idea who the ending could have possibly ended the way it did. But it was interesting enough to finish.
I never fully got into this book. I like Jimmy/Jerry enough but his character was hard to follow. He was very composed for a teenage boy and had no trouble expressing his emotions and thoughts. I've never meet a teenager like that so it wasn't very believable. The superhero aspect was confusing, how it was government controlled but no one seemed to know much about it. The villains seemed to have everything well planned and organized so I have no idea who the ending could have possibly ended the way it did. But it was interesting enough to finish.
February 28, 2018
A nice surprise
I love comic books and superheroes. When I saw this on one of my mailing lists, I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a very good story about growing up, finding yourself and how sometimes your gifts are better than you think they are going to be. Lots of fun and I’d love to read more stories set at the school.
I love comic books and superheroes. When I saw this on one of my mailing lists, I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a very good story about growing up, finding yourself and how sometimes your gifts are better than you think they are going to be. Lots of fun and I’d love to read more stories set at the school.
March 12, 2023
I read this awhile ago and I loved it it was so good
June 10, 2023
I’m a super big fan of all supers. This is a fun take on how would our world work if we had supers. Character development was good, working through his developing unusual powers was fun. I’m excited to see where this world might go. I could easily see more flypaper boy stories. I could see spin off books, super fun take on everything. Can’t wait for more.
March 11, 2015
I thought it was an exciting journey and it reminded me of my inner superhero! Would like to see where the story goes for Jimmy.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews