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The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy #3
The Great Powers Outage
Crunch!
There's something strange going on in Superopolis! The entire population has turned its back on its favorite potato chips of all time. Everyone has switched to the Amazing Indestructo's Amazing Pseudo-Chips. And all because someone named Comrade Crunch told them to.
Look out!
The weird thing is, no one has ever heard of Comrade Crunch. Who is he, and how is he getting the supercitizens to follow his every command?
There's more!
That's not the only mystery in town. The superheroes of Superopolis are losing their superpowers! Without their special gifts, they're just . . . ordinary! Luckily, there's one person in town who understands ordinary.
In a city where everyone is well, was extraordinary, this might just be a job for ordinary boy!"
There's something strange going on in Superopolis! The entire population has turned its back on its favorite potato chips of all time. Everyone has switched to the Amazing Indestructo's Amazing Pseudo-Chips. And all because someone named Comrade Crunch told them to.
Look out!
The weird thing is, no one has ever heard of Comrade Crunch. Who is he, and how is he getting the supercitizens to follow his every command?
There's more!
That's not the only mystery in town. The superheroes of Superopolis are losing their superpowers! Without their special gifts, they're just . . . ordinary! Luckily, there's one person in town who understands ordinary.
In a city where everyone is well, was extraordinary, this might just be a job for ordinary boy!"
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 25, 2008
11 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
William Boniface
47 books32 followersWilliam Boniface may or may not exist. Ordinary Boy, after all, tells his own story. Mr. Boniface could simply be a creation of the publisher in order to fulfill the requirement that an author be listed on the cover of this book. Given that possibility, there is no harm in revealing that Mr. Boniface has lent his name to over two dozen far less wordy children's books that were also in need of an author. Unless, of course, he didn't, which would make this entire biography irrelevent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
March 14, 2012
Brilliant. Simply brilliant. The Great Powers Outage was my favorite of the Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy series, of which this is the third (and latest) book. To my knowledge, Book 4 is not yet out, nor do I know if it is in development. However, I can tell you that everyone in my house is eagerly awaiting it.
In this episode, everyone in Superopolis loses their power. It's up to Ordinary Boy to figure out what happened and how (and if!) to fix it. The plot refers to elements in Books 1 (The Hero Revealed) and 2 (The Return of Meteor Boy?), which makes for a very satisfying read. While not as technically complex as the non-linearity and recursiveness of Book 2, The Great Powers Outage was richly layered, with the peripheral stories of the class election (an indictment of the American political process, minus any ideology or dogma) as well as the tale of the founding of Superopolis and the origins of The Li'l Hero's Handbook. The book was also a simplistic, but very effective lesson in cause and effect, especially regarding correlation vs. causality. In spite of more pronounced destruction of evil compared to Books 1 and 2, no villain (or government) took a worse beating than Pringle's Potato Chips (very thinly disguised as "Pseudo Chips" in the book), in my humble opinion.
I feel that this series is perfect for ages 8 to adulthood. Yes, I would recommend it for adults, too. It's well-written, irreverent, smart (not dumbed down at all) and is entertaining on many levels. Children can enjoy the books and still miss many of the more sophisticated references or underlying meanings. But the humor is solid even without these.
Notable:
p 131 (O-Boy is disappointed with his teacher's level of ambivalence and his classmate's lack of curiosity):
"I'm not trying to put anyone down." I insisted. "I'm just trying to get answers. Isn't the whole point of school to seek out knowledge?"
"Not particularly," Miss Marble responded gloomily. "I'm afraid the point of school isn't so much about learning things as it is learning not to say things that irritate other people."
"But how else do we gain knowledge?" I asked. "Shouldn't we always be asking questions and trying to use what we discover to make life better?"
"You're free to do all that" -- Miss Marble nodded -- "as long as you don't upset anyone in the process or challenge any of their beliefs."
In this episode, everyone in Superopolis loses their power. It's up to Ordinary Boy to figure out what happened and how (and if!) to fix it. The plot refers to elements in Books 1 (The Hero Revealed) and 2 (The Return of Meteor Boy?), which makes for a very satisfying read. While not as technically complex as the non-linearity and recursiveness of Book 2, The Great Powers Outage was richly layered, with the peripheral stories of the class election (an indictment of the American political process, minus any ideology or dogma) as well as the tale of the founding of Superopolis and the origins of The Li'l Hero's Handbook. The book was also a simplistic, but very effective lesson in cause and effect, especially regarding correlation vs. causality. In spite of more pronounced destruction of evil compared to Books 1 and 2, no villain (or government) took a worse beating than Pringle's Potato Chips (very thinly disguised as "Pseudo Chips" in the book), in my humble opinion.
I feel that this series is perfect for ages 8 to adulthood. Yes, I would recommend it for adults, too. It's well-written, irreverent, smart (not dumbed down at all) and is entertaining on many levels. Children can enjoy the books and still miss many of the more sophisticated references or underlying meanings. But the humor is solid even without these.
Notable:
p 131 (O-Boy is disappointed with his teacher's level of ambivalence and his classmate's lack of curiosity):
"I'm not trying to put anyone down." I insisted. "I'm just trying to get answers. Isn't the whole point of school to seek out knowledge?"
"Not particularly," Miss Marble responded gloomily. "I'm afraid the point of school isn't so much about learning things as it is learning not to say things that irritate other people."
"But how else do we gain knowledge?" I asked. "Shouldn't we always be asking questions and trying to use what we discover to make life better?"
"You're free to do all that" -- Miss Marble nodded -- "as long as you don't upset anyone in the process or challenge any of their beliefs."
Currently reading
December 1, 2016 Can you ever imagine being the only one in a huge city without a super power. Well Ordinary-boy is exactly that. He s the only person without a super power. This book contains drama, action and comedy. I really like this book because it lets us know how Ordinary-boy feels and thinks. Not ust what hedoes. THe athour also set a great mood in this book.
The only person in Superopolis who doesnt have a superpower, helps the big city solving the mystery of why the citizens had lost their superpower . Ordinary boy is boy who lives with his mom and dad in Superopolis. Superopolis is a city where evryone has superpowers besides him. His dad has the super power to heat anything with his hands. He used to work at a chip factory. The best chips around! In the beginning of this book, Ordinary-boy and his friends buy these new potato chips. When they start to eat them they get a little sick. When they finished eating them , all of Ordinary-boy's friends powers go away. Everyone else who ate the chips lost their powers. Now Ordinary-boy has to figure out why it's doing this to the towns people. He also has to stop an election for mayor along his journey.
Ordinary-boy is the only hope to save his city. He doesnt have any superpowers and really cant fight. But at the end , he some how ends up winning. He uses his brains and smartness to defeat the villain who is causing all this trouble. At the end evryone gets their superpowersbecause of Ordinary-boy.
THe detail the author made in this book was very good. He made every character have a specific power and what he/she does. In ordinary Boy , i had felt a text-to-world connection. In the book all of Superopolis people are over weight because of eating to many chips. In today's world that's the same problem in general. More and more people are becoming obese everyday from junky, fatty products. This gives an exaple to a real world situtation.
I would give this book 5 stars because it has lots of adventure and action. This is the type of book i like to read. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure, comedy and action . Also it teaches a few moral lessons. For example "Don't be forced to only have 1 option" It's a great series and i hope the author makes many more of these books.
The only person in Superopolis who doesnt have a superpower, helps the big city solving the mystery of why the citizens had lost their superpower . Ordinary boy is boy who lives with his mom and dad in Superopolis. Superopolis is a city where evryone has superpowers besides him. His dad has the super power to heat anything with his hands. He used to work at a chip factory. The best chips around! In the beginning of this book, Ordinary-boy and his friends buy these new potato chips. When they start to eat them they get a little sick. When they finished eating them , all of Ordinary-boy's friends powers go away. Everyone else who ate the chips lost their powers. Now Ordinary-boy has to figure out why it's doing this to the towns people. He also has to stop an election for mayor along his journey.
Ordinary-boy is the only hope to save his city. He doesnt have any superpowers and really cant fight. But at the end , he some how ends up winning. He uses his brains and smartness to defeat the villain who is causing all this trouble. At the end evryone gets their superpowersbecause of Ordinary-boy.
THe detail the author made in this book was very good. He made every character have a specific power and what he/she does. In ordinary Boy , i had felt a text-to-world connection. In the book all of Superopolis people are over weight because of eating to many chips. In today's world that's the same problem in general. More and more people are becoming obese everyday from junky, fatty products. This gives an exaple to a real world situtation.
I would give this book 5 stars because it has lots of adventure and action. This is the type of book i like to read. I would recommend this book to people who like adventure, comedy and action . Also it teaches a few moral lessons. For example "Don't be forced to only have 1 option" It's a great series and i hope the author makes many more of these books.
October 23, 2009
In the beginning of this book, O-boy and his friends buy these new potato chips. When they eat them all of O-boy's friends powers go away and so does everybody else who ate the chips. Now O-boy has to figure out why it's doing this to the towns people. He also has to stop an election for mayor along the way.
In ordinary Boy , i made a text-to-world connection. In the book all of Superopolis people are over weight because of eating to many chips. In today's world that's the same problem in general. More and more people are becoming obese everyday from junky fatty products.
I would give this book 5 stars because it has lots of adventure and action in it and that's the type of book i like to keep on reading. Also it teaches a few moral lessons. For example "Don't be forced to only have 1 option" It's a great series and i hope the author makes many more
In ordinary Boy , i made a text-to-world connection. In the book all of Superopolis people are over weight because of eating to many chips. In today's world that's the same problem in general. More and more people are becoming obese everyday from junky fatty products.
I would give this book 5 stars because it has lots of adventure and action in it and that's the type of book i like to keep on reading. Also it teaches a few moral lessons. For example "Don't be forced to only have 1 option" It's a great series and i hope the author makes many more
October 7, 2010
Reading level 4.9
This might be my favorite of the 3 books, fun interesting characters. Totally enjoyed reading it, was sad when it was over, hoping for book 4.
This might be my favorite of the 3 books, fun interesting characters. Totally enjoyed reading it, was sad when it was over, hoping for book 4.
November 15, 2020
After saving all of Superopolis, the city's only non-super-powered kid, Ordinary Boy, has quietly gone back to being treated as less than nobody. You'd think people would show a bit of gratitude, right? But no, O.B. just goes back to school, where even fulfilling a campaign promise to save the city again isn't enough to get him elected class treasurer. This time, the city needs saving from a villain who has come out of retirement (cough prison cough), using his ability to talk anybody into doing whatever he says to sell a brand of suspiciously uniform pseudo-chips (I mean, really! They come in a can!), driving local favorite brand Dr. Telomere's Potato Chips out of business. And somehow, this seems to be connected with everybody losing their powers.
O.B. doesn't make any friends by suggesting that something must be causing everyone (except himself) to have superpowers, and therefore something must be causing them to lose those powers. Besides a total lack of curiosity about such idle topics as history, the people of Superopolis think of their powers as an organic part of who they are. Does that mean Ordinary Boy is, like, nobody? Literally? Some may think so. But among the few who would disagree are his longtime nemesis, Professor Brain-Drain; the secret figure behind Dr. Telomere's chips; the retired superheroes who live at the top of Needlepoint Hill; and of course, the villain of this piece, the Red Menace, alternately known as Comrade Crunch.
Ordinary Boy and his gang undertake another hilarious, perilous adventure in which curiosity, an interest in history and the reasons stuff works, courage and critical thinking skills are as good as a super power any day. Although that may not win them the class election – but politics is politics. Some credit is due to illustrator Stephen Gilpin for helping make this book fun to read. But ultimately what makes the book is its author's whimsical insight into the strange ways people think and behave, with and without off-the-wall imaginary abilities.
This is the third and, so far, latest book in the "Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy" series, and although its ending hints that more may be in store, its publication date (2008) suggests otherwise. Despite a lot of children's books to his credit, William Boniface doesn't seem to have published anything new since this book. His picture-book titles include Mystery in Bugtown, What Do You Want on Your Pizza, The Jewels on the Crown, The Stars Came Out on Christmas, Easter Bunnies Everywhere, Max Makes Millions and There's a Dinosaur in My Soup! – among others.
O.B. doesn't make any friends by suggesting that something must be causing everyone (except himself) to have superpowers, and therefore something must be causing them to lose those powers. Besides a total lack of curiosity about such idle topics as history, the people of Superopolis think of their powers as an organic part of who they are. Does that mean Ordinary Boy is, like, nobody? Literally? Some may think so. But among the few who would disagree are his longtime nemesis, Professor Brain-Drain; the secret figure behind Dr. Telomere's chips; the retired superheroes who live at the top of Needlepoint Hill; and of course, the villain of this piece, the Red Menace, alternately known as Comrade Crunch.
Ordinary Boy and his gang undertake another hilarious, perilous adventure in which curiosity, an interest in history and the reasons stuff works, courage and critical thinking skills are as good as a super power any day. Although that may not win them the class election – but politics is politics. Some credit is due to illustrator Stephen Gilpin for helping make this book fun to read. But ultimately what makes the book is its author's whimsical insight into the strange ways people think and behave, with and without off-the-wall imaginary abilities.
This is the third and, so far, latest book in the "Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy" series, and although its ending hints that more may be in store, its publication date (2008) suggests otherwise. Despite a lot of children's books to his credit, William Boniface doesn't seem to have published anything new since this book. His picture-book titles include Mystery in Bugtown, What Do You Want on Your Pizza, The Jewels on the Crown, The Stars Came Out on Christmas, Easter Bunnies Everywhere, Max Makes Millions and There's a Dinosaur in My Soup! – among others.
August 16, 2019
Another excellent installment in the Ordinary Boy series. I've enjoyed reading it aloud a second time now (to my younger children) as much as I did the first time ten years ago. Great story, great characters, marvelously written. We've always been of the opinion that the series needed to continue, both because it is so good and so much fun and because there were some points in the storyline that were just ripe to be explored. Alas, to date there's been no fourth book in the series. Major Bummer! But even so, the three existing books are outstanding and extraordinary, and everyone should read them.
May 10, 2023
Help! It’s a commie! And he’s taking away everyone’s superpowers using pseudo-chip potato chip product! Argh!
This is a very good conclusion to the Ordinary Boy series, in which the source of powers is revealed along with a bunch of interesting backstory. The townspeople remain stupid as always, because they don’t realize that a guy named “Comrade Crunch” is a communist. Really!
I still don’t know how much contact with the outside world they have. I dreamed once that two out-of-towers visited Superopolis and Ordinary Boy was confused by their names, “Sullivan” and “Johnson”. Sadly, this is one question this book doesn’t answer.
This is a very good conclusion to the Ordinary Boy series, in which the source of powers is revealed along with a bunch of interesting backstory. The townspeople remain stupid as always, because they don’t realize that a guy named “Comrade Crunch” is a communist. Really!
I still don’t know how much contact with the outside world they have. I dreamed once that two out-of-towers visited Superopolis and Ordinary Boy was confused by their names, “Sullivan” and “Johnson”. Sadly, this is one question this book doesn’t answer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2023
This whole series is a lot of fun. It's been a long time since I read the first two, but this book did a great job at reviewing just enough that I remembered the context and immediately was invested in the characters again. There is so much dry humor, so many creative characters, and the whole thing is absolutely over-the-top in the best way. It's a great spin on the superhero genre as a whole.
October 17, 2021
Another good story in this fun series. Secrets and truths are revealed in this epic book. The source of the super powers are revealed as our main hero puts a stop to two evil plans. Just an overall fun read.
November 24, 2020
Who wouldn't want to read a book about superheros and potato chips? I haven't read the first two, but this one was great on its own.
May 8, 2023
Hot dang. This is a BOOK, y'all.
Social commentary! Political problems! Economic theories! Philosophical queries! Is this still for kids? GOODFACE, YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN.
Unlike the first two OB books, I'd never read this one before and man, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like how all of the books are set within the same few weeks--you don't see that a lot in series, and it helps for plot points like how the kids have just heard of the Red Menace before he pops up again.
The Junior Leaguers are more involved this time, with a backdrop of class elections (rife with fraud) juxtaposed against the city's problem with power and government, not to mention a scathing indictment of socialism/communism. Special mention to Gore the velociraptor and Dr. Telomere for new characters with big personalities.
It's all over now... or is it? (Dun dun dun...)
Social commentary! Political problems! Economic theories! Philosophical queries! Is this still for kids? GOODFACE, YOU'VE DONE IT AGAIN.
Unlike the first two OB books, I'd never read this one before and man, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like how all of the books are set within the same few weeks--you don't see that a lot in series, and it helps for plot points like how the kids have just heard of the Red Menace before he pops up again.
The Junior Leaguers are more involved this time, with a backdrop of class elections (rife with fraud) juxtaposed against the city's problem with power and government, not to mention a scathing indictment of socialism/communism. Special mention to Gore the velociraptor and Dr. Telomere for new characters with big personalities.
It's all over now... or is it? (Dun dun dun...)
July 5, 2012
Another great book about Ordinary Boy. In this volume, everyone in Superopolis is losing their powers, and no one knows how to cope without a superability. Except, of course, for Ordinary Boy, so it's up to him to save the day. This doesn't have as much science as the last book, but it focuses on the importance of history, which is pretty cool. My only complaint is that Boniface seems to have stopped writing Ordinary Boy books, but this is begging for a sequel. Seriously, there needs to be at least 1 more of these. The ending, while perfectly acceptable for a book, is not at all satisfying as a series ender.
April 13, 2016
I really liked this book, especially the authors use of potato chips! The biggest problem I found with this book, that I didn't like, is that even though this third book in the series gets readers caught up with what happened in the previous book, I feel it reveals too much for anyone reading this book first. As I mentioned in my review of book two, the second book had some really good surprise twists but that information is given away in this book so it leaves the reader without much of a reason to go back and read the previous book as there are no big surprises left and the previous book therefore becomes too predictable.
February 4, 2016
My child loved the concept of all 3 books.He enjoying how Ordinary Boy, despite having no power, is one of the smartest people in Superopolis, if not, then the smartest.
Now twice defeated, Professor Brain - Drain has miraculously returned yet again
and seems to be a miniscule threat compared to the Red Menace, however proves to be the most dangerous foe Ordinary Boy has faced, and will surely be in the next book ;).
My child was really hoping for Book 4 and I'm sure Mr.Boniface will be able to pull it off so to all those Ordinary Boy fans out there, don't give up hope, be like Ordinary Boy.
Now twice defeated, Professor Brain - Drain has miraculously returned yet again
and seems to be a miniscule threat compared to the Red Menace, however proves to be the most dangerous foe Ordinary Boy has faced, and will surely be in the next book ;).
My child was really hoping for Book 4 and I'm sure Mr.Boniface will be able to pull it off so to all those Ordinary Boy fans out there, don't give up hope, be like Ordinary Boy.
July 24, 2013
It's always seemed that people in Superopolis ate a lot of potato chips, and always the local brand. But now they're being persuaded to eat a new variety (they're uniform! they come in a can!) by a spokesman who turns out to be the old Super Villain, the Red Menace, now released from jail. Well, at least it isn't Professor Brain-Drain; Ordinary Boy knows he's dead. Or is he? When everyone's super powers begin to wane, the populace panics, but OB looks for a reason.
September 23, 2010
I really liked this book because of the plot. This is kind of unusual for me because regardless of what i write i like most books for the characters. Anyway i really liked this book because it finally reveals what is giving people their powers. I really like this book because of the loose ends that it ties up.
February 24, 2015
So much fun!!!! My 11 year old son loved this entire series and couldn't wait until we would sit down each night to read. We just HAD to get to the library the next morning after we finished one to get the next. An 'ordinary' boy in a town of superheroes? What pre-teen can't relate to that. Fun for my son and fun for me. I loved reading it with him.
March 31, 2009
I am lovin' these books. You know how sometimes you are just in the mood for something fun and light and creative? They have just completely satisfied me. I especially recommend them if you have kids that happen to be boys!
March 26, 2009
Believe me, you will crave potato chips while you read this book. Stock up.
May 29, 2015
This is a great series. Puts an interesting spin on the concept of "superheroes".
October 2, 2009
My kids like the whole series and find them entertaining. Here you find out that maybe he's NOT as ordinary as he seems....
February 4, 2012
Pretty cute story, and finally we learn the secret of the powers of the citizens of Superopolis. Not quite as hilarious as the first two, but still a highly enjoyable read-aloud.
Read
May 26, 2011IT WAS A VERY GOOD BOOK IT WAS LIKE A REALLY LONG COMIC BOOK I WOULD GIVE IT 1000000000000000000 STARS
August 27, 2012
Another good family read. We are going to write a letter to Boniface, PLEADING for him to write more!
August 27, 2012
Dear William Boniface:
Please write more of these books. My whole family loves them! Please, please, please!
Please write more of these books. My whole family loves them! Please, please, please!
Read
November 1, 2013it was a good book
August 9, 2014
This book is awesome!!!!!!
September 11, 2014
could not put it down. ended on a cliff hanger hope there is another one.
September 15, 2014
William Boniface you definitely need to make a 4th book.
Make a 4th book and I will give it a good rating and many others will give it a good rating to
Make a 4th book and I will give it a good rating and many others will give it a good rating to
January 4, 2016
Kind of for young readers, but I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews