Superhero Street

Storey Street #2

by Phil Earle

Mouse is desperate to be a superhero. To find that power that will make him stand out in the crowd. But his every attempt ends in failure. He can't even get any attention at home as his five brothers (triplets AND twins) take every second of mum and dad's attention. When mum foils a bank robbery while on duty as a lollipop lady, she and Mouse are lauded as superheroes. Joining forces with Mouse are The Z List - a group of unlikely crime-fighters. But in their midst is a traitor hell-bent on revenge. Will Mouse be super enough to spot this danger, and is he brave enough to do anything about it? The laugh-out-loud Storey Street novel from award-winning author of DEMOLITION DAD, Phil Earle. Each book will focus on a different character living on the same street.

Genres: Childrens, Contemporary

192 pages, Paperback

First published February 25, 2016

About the author

Phil was born in Hull in 1974, and he studied English and Drama at Hull University. He worked for a year as a carer in a children’s home, then after training as a drama therapist, he worked in a therapeutic community in London, which cared for multiply abused adolescents. Then, changing tack completely, he chose a marginally more sedate life as a children’s bookseller. It was here that he developed an obsession for kid’s literature, in particular, young adult fiction.

After three years at Ottakar’s, he became a sales rep, and then a key account manager for Transworld/Random House, and is now sales director at Simon and Schuster Children’s Books.

Phil lives in South East London with his wife and three young children.

Reviews

[Kirsty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really funny, full of heart and a cracking good read. Exactly what I've come to expect from Mr Earle. Loved all the characters and the middle grade twist on a traditional superhero story. Fab stuff

[Ria · Rating 4 out of 5]

From an adult perspective I really enjoyed the book. I’ve noticed that a lot of children’s books are very fluffy & contain very traditional family set ups (mum, dad, brother & sister etc) so it was really refreshing that this book was different.

⚠️ Spoiler contained ⚠️

Mouse is a young boy of 11 years old & he has 5 brothers, all much younger than him. Firstly 3 year old twins & then 2 year old triplets. Mouse is really understanding of the needs of his little brothers & the time & attention they need from his parents but still can’t help but naturally feel left out & unnoticed.

Mouse paints a clear picture of how exhausted his mum is, she falls asleep on the upstairs landing floor after getting all the little ones to bed!

Mouse is obsessed with superheroes & has even started to develop his own comic.

Suddenly Dad leaves. Vanishes without a trace leaving a note saying it was too much. This painted quite a modern tale of a single mother with 6 young children & a part time job. Mouse realised he is the man of the house & steps up to help mum. In doing so, they accidentally ruin the getaway of a jewellery robbery & become local heroes.

Mouse finally gets his wish as other local comic book hero enthusiasts come forward to make a gang of rather unconventional heroes.

Miss 8 loved it because as well as the calamities there was also a lot of fart jokes & rather disgusting & amusing behaviour.

Not the typical books we’ve read together & I would certainly encourage more books like this for us to enjoy!

[Brindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of middle grade books as there are some great ones out there at the moment and Super Hero Street is right up there with the best. He has devised a street and behind each door is a story. In this one a young boy wants to be a superhero and is bullied because of it, but one day thanks to his mum, things change. I think this is a great story for kids to read and reluctant readers may find it is fast enough paced with some wacky characters and a good plot to keep them interested.

[Leilah Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superhero Street tells the story of Mouse. He’s going to be a superhero one day. He’s just waiting for his superpowers to kick in. In the meantime, he keeps his cape on under his school shirt (just in case), and dreams of his time in the limelight. At school, the bullies’ attention means invisibility would be a useful skill, and at home you’d be hard pressed to think that he hadn’t already achieved it. It’s not that Mouse is unloved; it’s just that five screaming baby brothers will take up a lot of your share of your parents’ attention.

But snap on your spandex pants and limber up your funny bone… Suddenly, BIFF! He’s foiling crime! BANG! He’s man of the house! POW! He’s heading up a band of unlikely superheroes with the most unconventional abilities! (Could YOU fart a lullaby…? Exactly. And if you ever meet a man called Dan Druff, DO NOT let him near your crisps.)

Sara Ogilvie’s illustrations capture the chaos perfectly, and add a pitch-perfect pep to the pages. Phil Earle? Well. He has achieved something very special here. He’s cleverly delivering both a story with serious consideration for big emotional upheavals, and a boisterous, slapstick adventure filled with funnies and fart gags. He’s both comedian AND confidante. The switches between the two are subtle. He’s like Clark Kent with the glasses, I swear.

I cannot recommend this story highly enough. Press it into small hands. Do something super.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following last year's hilarious Demolition Dad, Superhero Street is the second in Phil Earle's Storey Street series for younger readers. This instalment follows comic book-loving Mouse, as after his magician dad disappears, he helps his lollipop lady mum to look after his 5 younger brothers. When they foil a crime, Mouse's superhero dreams come to life, and they are joined by a gang of misfits to form the Z-List superheros. But nothing is ever as simple as it seems....

A laugh out loud story, with an excellent ensemble cast, Superhero Street manages to tackle difficult family issues, without those issues taking away from a really engaging story. Brilliant stuff.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read & reviewed for The Bookbag: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/i...

[Prince]

I picked this book up when I was working in a bookshop. It was a free proof from the publishers and looked kinda fun, so I thought why the heck not? Finally got around to reading it 3 years later.

I'm not going to rate this book because I am clearly not the target audience for it, and it'll be a little unfair. BUT, I would say that this book does have some fun moments and interesting lessons for younger readers. I can see it being a great resource for group reading sessions in a classroom, as there is lots to discuss in it, in regards to themes and characters.