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Villain's Vacation
Four disabled seventh-graders with superpowers take a vacation at Coaster World. They need a break from fighting criminals. Ever since the beginning of the school year when they acquired their unusual abilities, they've been training and using those powers to fight crime in their town.
Little do they know the arch-villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.
Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain's attacks? Or will they become Super Villains? You can only find out by reading the adventure 'Villain's Vacation'.
Little do they know the arch-villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.
Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain's attacks? Or will they become Super Villains? You can only find out by reading the adventure 'Villain's Vacation'.
118 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 28, 2020
7 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Andy Zach
10 books97 followersAndy Zach was born Anastasius Zacharias, in Greece. His parents were both zombies. Growing up, he loved animals of all kinds. After moving to the United States as a child, in high school, he won a science fair by bringing toads back from suspended animation. Before turning to fiction, Andy published his Ph.D. thesis "Methods of Revivification for Various Species of the Kingdom Animalia" in the prestigious JAPM, Journal of Paranormal Medicine. Andy, in addition to being the foremost expert on paranormal animals, enjoys breeding phoenixes. He lives in Illinois with his five phoenixes.
Having conquered paranormal animal humor in his first series, Andy Zach launches into middle school superhero genre with Secret Supers. Four disabled seventh graders all get superpowers. Who knew a disability could be so useful for hiding a superpower? But the four friends, Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey confront problems that can't be solved by superpowers.
Andy follows up the first book with an exciting sequel, Villain's Vacation, set in a coaster park where the Secret Supers fight their archnemesis who's out for revenge.
With his first book, "Zombie Turkeys" Andy blazed new ground in paranormal humor. The second book in his Life After Life Chronicles,
In the sequel, 'Zombie Detective', zombie reporter, Sam Melvin gets fired by his wife Lisa because their paper is barely making money. He tries working as a private detective--specializing in zombies, animal and human.
His third book, "My Undead Mother-in-law" expands the zombie plague from turkeys to humans, with hilarious results. You can find both volumes on Amazon Kindle, Createspace print, and Audible audiobook editions.
Not content to keep in zombies earthbound, Andy puts them afloat in his fourth book, "Paranormal Privateers". Just when you thought every funny zombie trope had been explored, new humorous horizons open up. You can get "Paranormal Privateers" in Kindle and print formats. The audiobook is available now on Audible.
Finally, last but not least is Andy Zach's short story collection, where he collaborates with other writers filling in details about his unique zombie alternate history.
Subscribe to his newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/22d3daf2a1b7/get-y...
Having conquered paranormal animal humor in his first series, Andy Zach launches into middle school superhero genre with Secret Supers. Four disabled seventh graders all get superpowers. Who knew a disability could be so useful for hiding a superpower? But the four friends, Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey confront problems that can't be solved by superpowers.
Andy follows up the first book with an exciting sequel, Villain's Vacation, set in a coaster park where the Secret Supers fight their archnemesis who's out for revenge.
With his first book, "Zombie Turkeys" Andy blazed new ground in paranormal humor. The second book in his Life After Life Chronicles,
In the sequel, 'Zombie Detective', zombie reporter, Sam Melvin gets fired by his wife Lisa because their paper is barely making money. He tries working as a private detective--specializing in zombies, animal and human.
His third book, "My Undead Mother-in-law" expands the zombie plague from turkeys to humans, with hilarious results. You can find both volumes on Amazon Kindle, Createspace print, and Audible audiobook editions.
Not content to keep in zombies earthbound, Andy puts them afloat in his fourth book, "Paranormal Privateers". Just when you thought every funny zombie trope had been explored, new humorous horizons open up. You can get "Paranormal Privateers" in Kindle and print formats. The audiobook is available now on Audible.
Finally, last but not least is Andy Zach's short story collection, where he collaborates with other writers filling in details about his unique zombie alternate history.
Subscribe to his newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/22d3daf2a1b7/get-y...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 1, 2021
I was granted complimentary audiobook access to Villain's Vacation as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Audiobookworm Promotions. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
Villain's Vacation is the second book in the Secret Supers series. I admit I haven't read the first book, but I didn't feel lost at all. Clearly the first book was the introduction to the human characters, and possibly the team's formation, but there isn't any critical information left out. Four disabled preteens are saving the world X-Men style and their handler writes their adventures as fiction novels.
In this instalment, the team gets a mascot in the form of Dancer, a hamster owned by one of the team members who also gained special abilities along with the team but no one noticed before now. He's literate! Dancer reads everything he can get his paws on and ends up communicating with the team via cellphone.
I love all the positive disability representation in this book full of unstoppable kids with powers that replace and complement what they've lost. The addition of a talking hamster is adorable and will definitely make this book more appealing to the kids who might have been hesitant to read a superhero book.
My one criticism of the book itself is that the dialogue, though definitely reading level appropriate for a middle-grade audience, sometimes ventures into painfully blatant exposition territory. Middle-grade readers might not mind, but the parents and teachers reading along with them (if this is a group or family read) probably will.
On the flip side, there are so many pop culture references in this that those adult reading buddies will catch onto and laugh at. Scooby-Doo fans? There are easter eggs in here for you!
The audiobook narration was good overall and I appreciated the narrator's effort to make the different characters sound distinct. With that said, I nearly turned it off in the beginning when Dancer the hamster was thinking his dialogue rather than typing it. Thank goodness his voice shifted when he started using technology because the pitch-shifted squeaky rodent voice was indecipherable at my preferred 2x listening speed!
Overall this is a cute superhero story with a lot of important positive representation, and I highly recommend these books to scifi and superhero fans looking for a good middle-grade series.
Villain's Vacation is the second book in the Secret Supers series. I admit I haven't read the first book, but I didn't feel lost at all. Clearly the first book was the introduction to the human characters, and possibly the team's formation, but there isn't any critical information left out. Four disabled preteens are saving the world X-Men style and their handler writes their adventures as fiction novels.
In this instalment, the team gets a mascot in the form of Dancer, a hamster owned by one of the team members who also gained special abilities along with the team but no one noticed before now. He's literate! Dancer reads everything he can get his paws on and ends up communicating with the team via cellphone.
I love all the positive disability representation in this book full of unstoppable kids with powers that replace and complement what they've lost. The addition of a talking hamster is adorable and will definitely make this book more appealing to the kids who might have been hesitant to read a superhero book.
My one criticism of the book itself is that the dialogue, though definitely reading level appropriate for a middle-grade audience, sometimes ventures into painfully blatant exposition territory. Middle-grade readers might not mind, but the parents and teachers reading along with them (if this is a group or family read) probably will.
On the flip side, there are so many pop culture references in this that those adult reading buddies will catch onto and laugh at. Scooby-Doo fans? There are easter eggs in here for you!
The audiobook narration was good overall and I appreciated the narrator's effort to make the different characters sound distinct. With that said, I nearly turned it off in the beginning when Dancer the hamster was thinking his dialogue rather than typing it. Thank goodness his voice shifted when he started using technology because the pitch-shifted squeaky rodent voice was indecipherable at my preferred 2x listening speed!
Overall this is a cute superhero story with a lot of important positive representation, and I highly recommend these books to scifi and superhero fans looking for a good middle-grade series.
August 4, 2021
Note: While this is Book 2 in the series, it works pretty well as a stand alone story (tho book 1 is a lot of fun).
Once again the Secret Supers (Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey) combine their skills to fight evil! Well, actually, they were having a bit of a vacation and evil found them. But evil will certainly be sorry! Once again, Andy Zach gives us another delightful kids’ book. I’ve listened to his other audiobooks, including the Zombie Turkeys books, and this is a great addition to that collection.
The first half of the book is pretty much told from Jeremy’s point of view, though we do get to know his hamster (who has developed some great communication skills). The second half lets us see the story from other points of view as one after the other gets kidnapped and then rescued, until finally all are held under the steel robotic thumb of our Evil Overlord. (cue sinister music).
The settings are so much fun and my favorites were the Coaster World and the submarine. I also like that the Secret Supers have to pull in more allies, like parents. Their circle of support staff grows! And this will mean better costumes in the future.
Each of our superheroes has a disability but it doesn’t leave them disabled (even before they get their powers in book 1). Their physical limitations have given them a ‘think outside the box’ attitude, coming up with creative solutions. It also lets them be very accepting of others, including the unexpected texting hamster. It’s a fun story suitable for kids and adults with a happy ending. 5/5 stars.
The Narration: Michael Stafford did a great job with this story. He had the perfect voice for Jeremy and I liked his voices for the other kids as well. His robot voices were good too and I like how he added a little something to the telepathic discussions that let you know right away that it was telepathy. The pacing was good & there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Andy Zach. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
Once again the Secret Supers (Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey) combine their skills to fight evil! Well, actually, they were having a bit of a vacation and evil found them. But evil will certainly be sorry! Once again, Andy Zach gives us another delightful kids’ book. I’ve listened to his other audiobooks, including the Zombie Turkeys books, and this is a great addition to that collection.
The first half of the book is pretty much told from Jeremy’s point of view, though we do get to know his hamster (who has developed some great communication skills). The second half lets us see the story from other points of view as one after the other gets kidnapped and then rescued, until finally all are held under the steel robotic thumb of our Evil Overlord. (cue sinister music).
The settings are so much fun and my favorites were the Coaster World and the submarine. I also like that the Secret Supers have to pull in more allies, like parents. Their circle of support staff grows! And this will mean better costumes in the future.
Each of our superheroes has a disability but it doesn’t leave them disabled (even before they get their powers in book 1). Their physical limitations have given them a ‘think outside the box’ attitude, coming up with creative solutions. It also lets them be very accepting of others, including the unexpected texting hamster. It’s a fun story suitable for kids and adults with a happy ending. 5/5 stars.
The Narration: Michael Stafford did a great job with this story. He had the perfect voice for Jeremy and I liked his voices for the other kids as well. His robot voices were good too and I like how he added a little something to the telepathic discussions that let you know right away that it was telepathy. The pacing was good & there were no tech issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.
I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Andy Zach. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
July 25, 2022
In this sequel to Secret Supers, Jeremy has been experimenting on his hamster. As a result, Dancer has learned how to read, and is reading everything he can to learn about the human world. When Jeremy discovers this, he gets Dancer one of his old cell phones so Dancer can text the group.
As for the superhero business, the group needs some downtime and goes on vacation to Coaster World. What they don't realize is that the villain they defeated also loves roller coasters and wants revenge against the Secret Supers.
Will the Secret Supers be able to defeat the villain and enjoy their vacation, or are their crime-fighting days numbered?
This was a fun sequel to Secret Supers. Not only did we have Andy Zach as a character in the book, as though the events were true and actually happened, but I loved the inclusion of a Super-Hamster helping out Jeremy and his friends. In this battle against the villain, the Secret Supers struggle, as the villain seems to have figured out how to neutralize their powers, and they not only have to call in support but also reveal themselves to some non-Supers.
The action was well-paced throughout, and the mystery of the identity of the villain was well-done. While I had suspicions, I wasn't sure before the reveal, which was nice. If you enjoyed Secret Supers, I feel confident that you will also enjoy Villain's Vacation.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Michael Stafford. This was a different narrator from The Secret Supers, which was a little odd to my ears at first, but I think that was only because I had listened to Secret Supers so recently. Stafford gave a wonderful performance, and I would certainly listen to this audiobook again.
As for the superhero business, the group needs some downtime and goes on vacation to Coaster World. What they don't realize is that the villain they defeated also loves roller coasters and wants revenge against the Secret Supers.
Will the Secret Supers be able to defeat the villain and enjoy their vacation, or are their crime-fighting days numbered?
This was a fun sequel to Secret Supers. Not only did we have Andy Zach as a character in the book, as though the events were true and actually happened, but I loved the inclusion of a Super-Hamster helping out Jeremy and his friends. In this battle against the villain, the Secret Supers struggle, as the villain seems to have figured out how to neutralize their powers, and they not only have to call in support but also reveal themselves to some non-Supers.
The action was well-paced throughout, and the mystery of the identity of the villain was well-done. While I had suspicions, I wasn't sure before the reveal, which was nice. If you enjoyed Secret Supers, I feel confident that you will also enjoy Villain's Vacation.
For this book, I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Michael Stafford. This was a different narrator from The Secret Supers, which was a little odd to my ears at first, but I think that was only because I had listened to Secret Supers so recently. Stafford gave a wonderful performance, and I would certainly listen to this audiobook again.
October 31, 2020
The reason I picked up Villian’s Vacation by Andy Zach was because the main characters are disabled kids. I find that very refreshing. It features disabilities that most writers haven't mentioned in fiction. There is the classic blind superhero, but the rest are fresh takes on superhero powers. I wasn't disappointed by its creativity.
The story takes place in Coaster World, a rollercoaster focused theme park. However, unbeknownst to the Secret Supers, they have been followed by a villain that wants to make their vacation a nightmare. Can the kids stay together and stand up to a villain that maybe hasn’t thought everything through?
It is clearly a children’s book, and it reads like a middle school kid wrote it. I appreciate that quirkiness. However, it's not a very believable plot, but if you enjoy the campiness of the Adam West Batman series, then this book will load you up with humorous cheese. I recommend this to kids who like kid superhero stories.
The story takes place in Coaster World, a rollercoaster focused theme park. However, unbeknownst to the Secret Supers, they have been followed by a villain that wants to make their vacation a nightmare. Can the kids stay together and stand up to a villain that maybe hasn’t thought everything through?
It is clearly a children’s book, and it reads like a middle school kid wrote it. I appreciate that quirkiness. However, it's not a very believable plot, but if you enjoy the campiness of the Adam West Batman series, then this book will load you up with humorous cheese. I recommend this to kids who like kid superhero stories.
April 1, 2021
Andy Zach and his team of superheroes are back in Villain’s Vacation Secret Supers 2. In this
sequel to Secret Supers where we meet 4 young teens with disabilities who are given
superpowers by their leader Jeremy who stumbled upon the way to give them powers in book 1.
This continuing saga gives kids with disabilities a chance to see themselves as superheroes!!
After a busy school year of trying to survive middle school while fighting crime all over town the
friends go on vacation to Coaster World, unfortunately so does a villian who wants revenge after
having been defeated by them. In a series of action packed (some a little over the top) events
the teens with the help of their super powered hamster work to find out who keeps kidnapping
them and why.
This book is a fun follow up to the first and continues the story well.
sequel to Secret Supers where we meet 4 young teens with disabilities who are given
superpowers by their leader Jeremy who stumbled upon the way to give them powers in book 1.
This continuing saga gives kids with disabilities a chance to see themselves as superheroes!!
After a busy school year of trying to survive middle school while fighting crime all over town the
friends go on vacation to Coaster World, unfortunately so does a villian who wants revenge after
having been defeated by them. In a series of action packed (some a little over the top) events
the teens with the help of their super powered hamster work to find out who keeps kidnapping
them and why.
This book is a fun follow up to the first and continues the story well.
March 5, 2022
Hamster Vs. Super Villain
My 12 year old read this one too and really liked it a lot better then the first book. It could stand on it's own but will flow better if you read the first one before this book. This story has a great flow and plot that will definitely keep you engaged. Turns out that the hamster did change with the electromagnetic exposure.... The tweens go to Coaster World for a much needed break from their superhero duties when it gets interrupted by a villain. The tweens must work together again and reach out for help. It's a great read for the younger elementary to adult reader.
This narrator was a lot better. He did a good job with the voices, differentiations and acting.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
My 12 year old read this one too and really liked it a lot better then the first book. It could stand on it's own but will flow better if you read the first one before this book. This story has a great flow and plot that will definitely keep you engaged. Turns out that the hamster did change with the electromagnetic exposure.... The tweens go to Coaster World for a much needed break from their superhero duties when it gets interrupted by a villain. The tweens must work together again and reach out for help. It's a great read for the younger elementary to adult reader.
This narrator was a lot better. He did a good job with the voices, differentiations and acting.
—I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
July 3, 2021
I really enjoyed listening to this story. I haven't read the first book, but I was still able to follow along easily. Stafford did an excellent job of bringing the characters and story to life. I absolutely adore Dancer. How can you not love a Hamster that can read and type?! I really appreciate the team of heroes and how they're disabled, yet unlike what we often see in media, that isn't an impediment. This positive representation of the community made my heart soar. Although the story is definitely middle-grade aimed, if you're reading along as an adult, you'll appreciate the pop culture references peppered in. I really enjoyed this book, and it's made me want to check out book one!
July 8, 2021
Synopsis:
Four disabled seventh graders with superpowers take a vacation at Coaster World. They need a break from fighting criminals. Ever since the beginning of the school year when they acquired their unusual abilities, they've been training and using those powers to fight crime in their town.
Little do they know, the arch villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.
Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain's attacks? Or will they become Super Villains?
Four disabled seventh graders with superpowers take a vacation at Coaster World. They need a break from fighting criminals. Ever since the beginning of the school year when they acquired their unusual abilities, they've been training and using those powers to fight crime in their town.
Little do they know, the arch villain they recently defeated also loves coasters and is vacationing at Coaster World. Worse, the villain wants revenge. Nothing less than turning these teens to a life of crime will satisfy.
Can Jeremy, Dan, Kayla, and Aubrey withstand the villain's attacks? Or will they become Super Villains?
September 6, 2021
The Supers are at it again
A good book following the Secret Supers is amazing and just as intriguing as book one. Adding Dancer the computer whiz hamster was just the ticket. A great read for either kids or adults.
A good book following the Secret Supers is amazing and just as intriguing as book one. Adding Dancer the computer whiz hamster was just the ticket. A great read for either kids or adults.
November 6, 2021
Awesome! Loved it! I can't wait to read more books from Andy Zach, no pressure, take your time. I will read your next books and I know they will be great. Thank you for all of your hard work and creativity.
October 8, 2023
What a fresh take on the superhero genre. Teenage kids with profound disabilities and super powers. And, don’t forget the super hamster. I love the blending of storytelling the author displays that throws him into the characters as the one documenting these super kid’s lives and the defeat of their villains. I gotta read more from this author!
May 13, 2021
Continued improvement in Zach's vein of humor and a built on character development. I enjoyed the story and the setting was engaging and slightly amusing.
It did not disappoint as a page turner ending with a bang! Can't wait for his next book in the series.
It did not disappoint as a page turner ending with a bang! Can't wait for his next book in the series.
June 23, 2023
Okay I don't mind admitting I am a bit older than the authors targeted audience age but I still enjoyed it. I started with book one and while I liked the plot idea more than the actual story, I continued on to the next book and I am glad I did. I might even suggest to my 10 year old niece that she give it a listen. The characters were unique and original to begin with but add in the super hamster and the author has a lot of fun with this book, even going so far as to write himself into the story. This does work as a standalone book and focuses a lot more on the evil villain trying to capture the heros, than how they got there powers (like the first book). It's a fairly short story (just right for a younger audience) but the author packs a lot in. Off to start the next book.
Four disabled seventh-graders have had a busy year, ever since the accident that have them there powers they have been training or fighting. With the end of the school year there parents decide they need a treat and send them to Coaster World for a vacation. Unfortunately they aren't the only ones there, Can they survive the roller coasters? Or will there arch nemesis snatch them from the brink and persuade them to turn to a life of crime? Maybe but the robotic nemesis didn't count on a hamster joining them on the ride.
I preferred this narrator to the last, much better voices but I still hard problems when the story switched between characters. It took me a few minutes to work out which characters perspective each chapter was from.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntary left this review.
Four disabled seventh-graders have had a busy year, ever since the accident that have them there powers they have been training or fighting. With the end of the school year there parents decide they need a treat and send them to Coaster World for a vacation. Unfortunately they aren't the only ones there, Can they survive the roller coasters? Or will there arch nemesis snatch them from the brink and persuade them to turn to a life of crime? Maybe but the robotic nemesis didn't count on a hamster joining them on the ride.
I preferred this narrator to the last, much better voices but I still hard problems when the story switched between characters. It took me a few minutes to work out which characters perspective each chapter was from.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntary left this review.
February 26, 2024
this was a strong sequel in the Secret Supers series, it had a great feel to this world and worked with the first book perfectly. The characters felt like they were meant to be in this universe and I enjoyed how everything flowed together. Andy Zach does it again in this universe and I was glad I got to read this.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 2, 2024
"Villain's Vacation" by Andy Zach, narrated by Michael Stafford, whisks you on a thrilling ride as four disabled seventh graders with superpowers take on Coaster World. The writing is as electrifying as their powers, keeping you glued to each twist and turn. Stafford's narration brings each character to life, adding an extra layer of excitement to this action-packed adventure.
November 19, 2024
Very entertaining and well written story. Has everything a great book needs. Heroes, villains, and a really great storyline. Absolutely love this series!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews