Searching for Super

Almost Super #2

by Marion Jensen

Savvy meets The Incredibles in this engaging, laugh-out-loud sequel to the critically acclaimed Almost Super. Filled with heart and humor, Searching for Super is a family adventure of heroic proportions.

The superheroes of Split Rock are hunkering down, which is really just a fancy way of saying they’re hiding. Ever since those supervillainous Joneses took away their real powers, the Baileys and the Johnsons have been living in fear. But Rafter has had a taste of what saving the day feels like, and now he’s desperate to do something important.

So when he gets an opportunity to fight with a real superpower—as long as he promises not to tell his parents—he is going to take it, no questions asked. With the help of his brother Benny, his cousin Thimon, and his best friend, Juanita, Rafter Bailey is searching for super.

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Humor, Adventure, Superheroes, Middle Grade, Fiction

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2015

Reviews

[Diamond · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review first posted on my blog Dee's Reads
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Ever since I read book one Almost Super; I was really looking forward to reading this sequel. I gave that book 5 stars. I don't do that often. That's how much it impressed me though. But we all know—the more impressed we are the harder it can be to fulfill that same impression the second or third time around. Unfortunately, I have to say this is one book that suffered the odious "second book syndrome"… Maybe it was because I loved the first book so much, but I really had high expectations for this. Sometimes that is what kills a book. I think in this case, that was mostly what happened.

All in all though I'm glad I followed up with this series. It's such a positive one! It's definitely one of those books that is filled with positive messages for kids. A little too much for my liking, but hey, it's cool. I'll take an overly positive book over a negative one any day.

I'm not going to go over the plot at all in my review, because the blurb has a really good summarization and I don't really have anything to add that I feel is important. I mainly just wanted to say that it's an okay book that doesn't live up to its predecessor, but was still mildly enjoyable. I think it may be more enjoyable for a younger kid—perhaps 9. I think that it is more for the younger spectrum of middle grade, even though the first book seemed older.

I enjoyed how the characters dealt with bullying and how they managed their friendships. Most of all, the message of family and not taking things on by yourself just because you want to be "heroic." True heroism is working as a team, and while that sounds really cheesy (I know)..it's a good concept. If you haven't read the first book, definitely don't read this one. You will be very out of the loop! Also, if you really want to read a superhero book or know a young middle grader who likes them and could do with some good lessons on friendships and family —then by all means point them toward the first book, Almost Super.

[Sara Grochowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about Marion Jensen's Super books? I always know that I'll spend most of the book laughing!

I was a huge fan of Almost Super, which released early in 2014, and was excited to hear that the Baileys and Johnsons would be returning to continue their battle with the supervillain Joneses in 2015. This second book picks up shortly after the events of book one, following a catastrophe that left the superhero families robbed of their superpowers. Needless to say, moral is low in the superhero camps. But Benny, Rafter, and Juanita know that real superheroes don't let adversity - or missing powers - stand in their way. So, instead of hunkering down, they think outside the box, finding an alternative solutions.

One of the driving forces behind these books is friendship and family. I love that the three main characters are the catalysts for change within their families and the superhero community, rather than the adults. And, even though they sometimes get into more trouble than they bargained for, they are willing to try new things and collaborate.

While readers could probably start with this book and puzzle their way through any missing information from book 1, I'd recommend starting with Almost Super. This will prevent any plot holes and give readers a better understanding of the dynamics between the Baileys and Johnsons, an element I think really make these books shine.

Recommended.

[Megan Hawley Steinfeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mae: I loved it, please please please make more books or I will die!

Cora: If you want a good mystery with action and twists then this is the book/series for you!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthy follow up to the first in this series of superhero families. Rafter and Benny Bailey work with their friend Juanita Johnson to try and stop the villainous Jones family. Along the way they learn that teamwork is more important than glory, that friends help each other no matter what, and that even when you can't do something big, you can still do something.

[NIcolette R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a message that means, you can do anything you want to, don't let nobody bring you down. Just let your dream come true.

[One Man Book Club · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my blog, One Man Book Club

The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained

Searching for Super (Almost Super, Book 2)
By: Marion Jenson
My Rating: FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS
Best for: 10 and under

Super in every way!

My kids and I thought Almost Super was one of the most fun books we'd ever read together, and when we finished we couldn't wait to start book 2, Searching for Super.

Almost Super by Marion Jensen was a WIN! Did book 2, stick the landing?

Absolutely!

Here's what we thought of book 1:

What a fun and funny story! We laughed AND we cheered--and then we laughed some more. Almost Super is a perfect family read-aloud.

I'll set the stage...

Rafter Baily and his brother Benny have been impatiently waiting for exactly 4:23 pm on the leap day after they turn 12--it's the exact moment each member of the Baily family gets their superpower. Grandpa has super strength. Dad can fly. Mom is telekinetic. Their brother is super smart. Their aunts and uncles and cousins can shrink, have super speed, or can turn invisible. Rafter and Baily can't wait to join the fight against their archenemies supervillains: The Johnsons!

But what power will they get?!

The moment arrives, and their powers are--well--duds. Rafter suddenly has the power to light a match on polyester. Benny gains the power to turn his innie belly button into and outie! How is Rafter going to face Juanita Johnson--his personal nemeses--at school?! She's going to have received her new supervillain power the same time as them!

That sets up the most fun, laugh-out-loud story my kids and I have read together in a long time. Every time the Bailey's talk about the Johnsons, they shake their fist--and we all shook our fists right along with them. Each time Benny triggered his belly button power it made a tiny "pop" sound, and we all stopped to laugh. Sometimes we'd re-read lines multiple times just to make ourselves crack up. We loved it so much, as soon as we finished we downloaded book 2, Searching for Super, and immediately started working on it together.

Way to go Marion Jensen! Write more books please!

No content concerns, but be ready to laugh at the silliness and have fun trying to guess what happens next!

We highly recommend both Almost Super and Searching for Super for all ages and independent readers ready for a 250-page chapter book.

Happy Reading!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been two months since the superhero families the Baileys and the Johnsons realized their true enemies were the wicked Joneses, only to have their power stolen by said villains. While they wait for October Jones to enact his master plan, both families are just holing up in their respective bunkers. This doesn't sit right with Rafter Bailey or his friend Juanita Jones. While the latter focuses on saving the day in little, non-powered ways, Rafter will do whatever it takes to get back to hero work. Another cute adventure, this one teaching about friendship and teamwork.

[Rick Stuckwisch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great little book, and a great sequel to "Almost Super." Gently humorous throughout, yet also sweet and thoughtful. In the midst of a fun story and lighthearted banter, there's a lot in there about family and friendship, responsibility, courage, and doing the right thing even when it's hard. It was a pretty quick read, but we all loved it. Surprisingly more quality and substance than one might guess. I'd certainly recommend it.

[Karissa Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute sequel to Almost Super. While formulaic to any adult reading it, my children loved having it read to them. It has simplistic moral lessons, funny characters, and even poignant moments. All in all, I found myself pulled in at times. I was pleased to find a book that all three of my children (7 year old daughter and 8/11 year old sons) enjoyed listening to.

[Ceri E. Penner · Rating 5 out of 5]

We thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. Great twist and an exciting read. We love Rafter, Benny and Juanita! This book was uplifting and had messages about friendship, bravery, and that helping, or being a hero, doesn't always mean doing something big. The small stuff matters too. It also made us giggle a lot. These characters are silly and entertaining. 4 stars from Josh and 5 from Mark and Levi.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was interesting enough to keep my almost 6 year old engaged throughout, despite it being a fairly long book. The writing was mostly clear enough for him to follow with almost no issues, while being complex enough for him to be able to make multiple assumptions about what might happen next.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I did love the first one more, this was a satisfying sequel. Still filled with humor and tender moments, as well as adventure that will help students make vibrant and exciting movies of the story in their minds.

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

another fun read-aloud with the kids. The most begging for "one more chapter" that I've heard in a long time. A good fun read, with some good morals wooven in. The first half was a bit slow, but once the pace picked up it was pretty fun. Good book overall

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nicely wraps up the story that started with Almost Super. This time I didn't see the big twist coming, and there was some delightful character development.

[Beka · Rating 5 out of 5]

We loved it! Great family read!

[Erin Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this sequel to "Almost super".

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as the first, but still a fun read

[Ruby Ridge · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a good book - the first was better and that is not saying much!
Not recommended for any age group.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The boys and I really enjoyed this book duo. It made a really fun read aloud. They always begged for one more chapter.

[Christy Gould]

Halfway through I almost quit, but it came around. My 8yo loved it, and I’d put him (or his reading level, 9-11ish) at the perfect target audience.

[HermioneGranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling sequel that kept me up late to finish it!

Rafter, Benny, and Juanita are ready to help, but the superheroes are in hiding. When a Bailey named Thimon offers them a way to practice superpowers, they agree, eager for their chance to escape. But not everything is as it seems...

Complete with cool motorcycles, old people, child actors, intense action scenes, amazing superpowers, teamwork, kidnappings, an unbeatable robot, and the most diabolical supervillain of all time, this is a definite must read!!!

[Annabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids & I liked this book. The message of "do something heroic, whether fighting crime or volunteer work" was a bit heavy-handed for me, but probably just right for kids. I really liked that the main story got all wrapped up, rather than trying to stretch it out to a long series.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Baileys and the Johnsons are two families of superheroes. Or they were until the evil Joneses used a horrid device to take away their cool powers and replace them with stupid powers. Now they can do things like burp in Russian and turn their bellybuttons inside out. Not exactly save-the-day abilities. They are both hunkering down trying to find out how to restore their powers and contacting other branches of the family to find out who if anyone survived the big attack the Jones family unleashed. Thimon is one of the few cousins who survived the Jones’ attack in his town. He’s come to stay with Rafter and Benny’s family. And best of all, he can secretly still gift powers. He uses his powers to let Rafter and Benny train in secret. Meanwhile, Juanita is doing research to try and figure out where the Jones went, and the town of Split Rock is dissolving into a torrent of crime with the disappearance of the superheroes from the skies. Can the Baileys and Johnsons get their powers back before the world destroys itself in the absence of superheroes?

Ok, so I totally figured out the big twist in this story very, very early. You can too if you pay close attention to details. Especially the way Uncle John’s head is wrapped. So most of the book I was telling Rafter and Bailey what to do, but they didn’t listen to me until quite late in the story. So frustrating! Why don't characters listen to their readers?! Oh well, they did eventually catch on. And it is still another humorous, clean superhero adventure for middle grades. This and the first book would make great family or class read alouds.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. There’s some breaking of windows and property destruction as well as threats of violence, but little to no serious injuries.

[Rikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the thrilling sequel to Almost Super, Rafter and Benny Bailey continue the search for the missing supervillain, October Jones, who created a device to steal their true superpowers. Although, this time, Rafter and Benny aren’t the only ones missing their powers. All members of the Bailey and Jones family are without their powers for the first time ever and leaders in the families think it is best if they all just ‘hunker down’ and wait for the villains’ next move. Benny, Rafter, and their friend Juanita are tired of waiting and ready to leap into action even under suspicious circumstances. When they discover that one Bailey still has a very special power, they keep his secret from the rest of the family only to find he has been betraying them all along. The second installment of this super series ends with a satisfying, massive superhero fight scene wherein Rafter and Benny use their cleverness to outsmart October once again. While it compliments the first book, readers will enjoy Searching for Super without reading Almost Super if they choose. Recommended for middles grade readers.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book about a family of superheroes. After losing their powers to supervillains in Almost Super, the Bailey and Johnson families have been spending a lot of time hunkering down. But Rafter, Benny, and Juanita are determined to do something. Can they save the day without their powers? Will they act as a trio again or enlist the help of the rest of the family? A quick read, some comedy, mostly superhero style adventure. Strong male and female characters and a bright cover should appeal to both boys and girls.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this hilarious and action-packed sequel to Almost Super, the two superhero families of the Baileys and the Johnsons have united to fight their common enemy, the Joneses. Unfortunately since they lost their powers in the first book, they are mostly hunkering down, which is super frustrating for Rafter and Benny. Juanita takes it in stride, doing what she can in the meantime. But when Rafter and Benny set out on their own to do something big, they unleash a chain of events that could destroy their superpowers -- and their families -- forever. Highly recommend to grades 4 and up. Must be read in order.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about how the little things we do can matter in big ways. Not all our contributions have to be big or visible to everyone. My oldest gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and my youngest gave it 3 stars. I would lean toward 4 stars. I laughed more than I expected. Loved how the titles of the chapters showed up as dialogue within the chapter. At the start of each chapter I tried to imagine how it would play out in the chapter. Fun. I wasn’t lost even though I didn’t read the first book in the series (my oldest read that one independently).

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book. A lot. The build up/suspense is too much though. I was going to say it could have been a rollercoaster, but I guess that is exactly what it was. An old roller coaster with a LONG, SLOW ride up the hill with the chain clinking along. The exciting ride down makes it worth it, but just barely. I just want a book where Rafter, Benny and Juanita have their powers (the whole time) and kick butt! Imo, he book is a bit too much of a tease with the lack of powers. Less old wooden rollercoaster, more Cannibal (for those that have been to Lagoon).

[Samuel Valentino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as the first one! The thing I like about these books is that the story is really tight. Other than the premise, there's no suspension of disbelief, no villains who are evil but pull punches because they're facing kids. The plot is tight, questions are answered in ways that move the plot forward, and all the motivations are in character. Even when I thought the author was softening something because it was a book for kids, it turned out there was a very specific reason for the villains to act as they did. A really good series I heartily recommend.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved Almost Super and we are so excited to read this second book!!!

Thankfully, this second book lived up to our expectations after reading the first one. Good job, Mr. Jensen!!!!!!!
Ratings from the boys...4 3/4 stars and 10+ stars from my youngest.

Funny, without resorting to potty humor, high-interest book for kids. And hey, if you make it a read aloud, moms, dads, and teachers can enjoy it too.