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Super Troop
From the Edgar-nominated author Bruce Hale comes a hilarious story about a kid who likes to break the rules . . . until the rules try to break him.
Cooper just wants to spend the summer before 7th grade drawing and having adventures with his best friend, Nacho. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that his dad’s new girlfriend and his mom’s announcement that she’s going to start dating.
But when one of his adventures with Nacho goes too far, Cooper’s parents freak out. Either he joins the Boy Rangers, a dorky club that’s all about discipline and rules, or that dream cartooning camp at the end of his summer? Will get erased.
At first it’s not so bad—the troop is a disorganized mess. But then a new scoutmaster starts. Mr. Pierce is a gruff ex-Marine who’s never worked with kids before, especially not a ragtag team of misfits like Troop 19. As he tries turning them into a lean, mean, badge-earning machine, Cooper longs for freedom. He doesn’t want to break the rules, but the rules are going to break him!
Cooper just wants to spend the summer before 7th grade drawing and having adventures with his best friend, Nacho. Anything to keep his mind off the fact that his dad’s new girlfriend and his mom’s announcement that she’s going to start dating.
But when one of his adventures with Nacho goes too far, Cooper’s parents freak out. Either he joins the Boy Rangers, a dorky club that’s all about discipline and rules, or that dream cartooning camp at the end of his summer? Will get erased.
At first it’s not so bad—the troop is a disorganized mess. But then a new scoutmaster starts. Mr. Pierce is a gruff ex-Marine who’s never worked with kids before, especially not a ragtag team of misfits like Troop 19. As he tries turning them into a lean, mean, badge-earning machine, Cooper longs for freedom. He doesn’t want to break the rules, but the rules are going to break him!
288 pages, Hardcover
Published June 28, 2022
9 people are currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
Bruce Hale
112 books133 followersA serious book addict, Bruce wanted to be a children's book author since he was in 4th grade (right after he got over wanting to be a pirate, Tarzan, and Daniel Boone). Today he's the author-illustrator of over 70 seriously funny books for kids, so some dreams do come true.
The Malted Falcon, one of his Chet Gecko Mysteries series, was an Edgar Award finalist, and Murder, My Tweet won a Little D Award for Juvenile Humor Writing. Bruce has written everything from picture books and easy readers, to graphic novels and novels.
Bruce's recent Monstertown Mysteries series blends horror and humor, based on his childhood love of monster movies. His other series include Class Pets, about the secret lives of classroom pets, and the forthcoming Outerspace Mystery Pizza Club books, due in 2024.
A Fulbright Scholar (in Storytelling), Bruce is also a popular speaker, both in the U.S. and internationally. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and knuckleheaded dog Riley. When he's not writing or reading, you may find him hiking, kickboxing, or singing with a latin-jazz band called Mezcal Martini.
The Malted Falcon, one of his Chet Gecko Mysteries series, was an Edgar Award finalist, and Murder, My Tweet won a Little D Award for Juvenile Humor Writing. Bruce has written everything from picture books and easy readers, to graphic novels and novels.
Bruce's recent Monstertown Mysteries series blends horror and humor, based on his childhood love of monster movies. His other series include Class Pets, about the secret lives of classroom pets, and the forthcoming Outerspace Mystery Pizza Club books, due in 2024.
A Fulbright Scholar (in Storytelling), Bruce is also a popular speaker, both in the U.S. and internationally. He lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and knuckleheaded dog Riley. When he's not writing or reading, you may find him hiking, kickboxing, or singing with a latin-jazz band called Mezcal Martini.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 23, 2025
In Super troop, a middle aged boy named Cooper trespassed on a theme park with his friend, Nacho. When their parents heard the news, they sent them to a boy troop. Things were going well until they got a new troopmaster which said they were going on a camping trip. Will they enjoy the camping trip or will they hate it?
November 7, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Cooper and his best friend Nacho are looking forward to a summer of adventure before 7th grade, but because of hijinks they pull on a family trip to a local amusement park, end up with a much different adventure than they had planned. In trouble for getting off a ride and ending up with park security, the two boys are forced to join a local scouting group, the Boy Rangers, to learn some discipline and control their impulsivity. Cooper's mother and father, who are divorced, tell him he doesn't have to go to the thrice weekly troop meetings, but if he doesn't, he will forfeit attending a comic book camp to which he is greatly anticipating. The troop seems unimpressive at first; six boys, who don't seem to work well together and have their own personal quirks, and a leader who doesn't seem invested in his mission. After an unfortunate incident with a fire, the addition of three girls because of a lawsuit, and the replacement of their leader with a former military man, Rocky Pierce, things at least get more interesting. Cooper desperately wants to reunite his parents, who have been divorced for two years, and hopes that if he perseveres with the troop that this will bring them closer together. This will be tough, since his father is living with his girlfriend, whom Cooper calls "Shasta McNasty", and her young twin daughters. This doesn't keep him from trying to arrange meetings between his parents, and when his mother starts to date Mr. Pierce, he and Nacho attempt an ill-conceived prank. This gets them in further trouble, and they have to spend time cleaning up Mr. Pierce's back yard. The troop is preparing to enter a jamboree, and as part of their training, attempt to camp in the wilderness at the end of a seven mile hike. This goes poorly, anad the parents are not happy. Mr. Pierce has a public hearing to determine his fitness to be a troop leader. Will Cooper be able to overcome his personal feelings about his leader in order to help out the troop, which has come to mean more to him than he expected?
Strengths: There should be many more books about camping, like Gebhart's There Will Be Bears and Gansei's The Wild Bunch, and more books about scouting as well. There are not enough humorous books being published, and camping is an experience that not all young readers get to have, so a funny story about the process is most welcome. It was good to see that Nacho's moms and Cooper's parents were determined that their antics at the amusement park had consequences, and followed through even when the boys complained. Seeing Cooper's parents work together from separate households was also helpful. Although Cooper claims not to like Shasta and her girls, he gets along well with them. The inclusion of girls in the troop goes fairly smoothly; Cooper and the other scouts don't complain, and it takes a tiny bit of mental adjustment on Mr. Pierce's part. Since the Campfire organization has been co-ed since 1975, that was good to see. Mr. Pierce is tough, but fair, and when he makes an error of judgment, he readily admits to it and takes steps to better prepare for future endeavors. While characters' ethnicities aren't integral to the story, there is a realistic amount of diversity in the characters. With its humorous cover, Super Troop is a book that middle grade readers will eagerly pick up.
Weaknesses: There are parts of this that seemed oddly dated. From the slovenly, overweight troop leader to a stop at a video game arcade to scouts playing with knives and lighters, this felt in spots like books from the 1980s, like Smith's The War with Grandpa, especially when Cooper and Nacho try to prank Mr. Pierce with a stink bomb. Young readers won't mind, but I was just a little surprised.
What I really think: I will definitely purchase a copy, since Hale's other books, like Playing with Fire, The Monstertown Mysteries, and Switch are all popular with my students. Hale has moved to the top of my list of authors who should write a novel about boys setting up a babysitting service in their neighborhood (along with Jake Burt and Dan Richards), but I do wish that there had been a few tweaks to some of the wording and situations.
Cooper and his best friend Nacho are looking forward to a summer of adventure before 7th grade, but because of hijinks they pull on a family trip to a local amusement park, end up with a much different adventure than they had planned. In trouble for getting off a ride and ending up with park security, the two boys are forced to join a local scouting group, the Boy Rangers, to learn some discipline and control their impulsivity. Cooper's mother and father, who are divorced, tell him he doesn't have to go to the thrice weekly troop meetings, but if he doesn't, he will forfeit attending a comic book camp to which he is greatly anticipating. The troop seems unimpressive at first; six boys, who don't seem to work well together and have their own personal quirks, and a leader who doesn't seem invested in his mission. After an unfortunate incident with a fire, the addition of three girls because of a lawsuit, and the replacement of their leader with a former military man, Rocky Pierce, things at least get more interesting. Cooper desperately wants to reunite his parents, who have been divorced for two years, and hopes that if he perseveres with the troop that this will bring them closer together. This will be tough, since his father is living with his girlfriend, whom Cooper calls "Shasta McNasty", and her young twin daughters. This doesn't keep him from trying to arrange meetings between his parents, and when his mother starts to date Mr. Pierce, he and Nacho attempt an ill-conceived prank. This gets them in further trouble, and they have to spend time cleaning up Mr. Pierce's back yard. The troop is preparing to enter a jamboree, and as part of their training, attempt to camp in the wilderness at the end of a seven mile hike. This goes poorly, anad the parents are not happy. Mr. Pierce has a public hearing to determine his fitness to be a troop leader. Will Cooper be able to overcome his personal feelings about his leader in order to help out the troop, which has come to mean more to him than he expected?
Strengths: There should be many more books about camping, like Gebhart's There Will Be Bears and Gansei's The Wild Bunch, and more books about scouting as well. There are not enough humorous books being published, and camping is an experience that not all young readers get to have, so a funny story about the process is most welcome. It was good to see that Nacho's moms and Cooper's parents were determined that their antics at the amusement park had consequences, and followed through even when the boys complained. Seeing Cooper's parents work together from separate households was also helpful. Although Cooper claims not to like Shasta and her girls, he gets along well with them. The inclusion of girls in the troop goes fairly smoothly; Cooper and the other scouts don't complain, and it takes a tiny bit of mental adjustment on Mr. Pierce's part. Since the Campfire organization has been co-ed since 1975, that was good to see. Mr. Pierce is tough, but fair, and when he makes an error of judgment, he readily admits to it and takes steps to better prepare for future endeavors. While characters' ethnicities aren't integral to the story, there is a realistic amount of diversity in the characters. With its humorous cover, Super Troop is a book that middle grade readers will eagerly pick up.
Weaknesses: There are parts of this that seemed oddly dated. From the slovenly, overweight troop leader to a stop at a video game arcade to scouts playing with knives and lighters, this felt in spots like books from the 1980s, like Smith's The War with Grandpa, especially when Cooper and Nacho try to prank Mr. Pierce with a stink bomb. Young readers won't mind, but I was just a little surprised.
What I really think: I will definitely purchase a copy, since Hale's other books, like Playing with Fire, The Monstertown Mysteries, and Switch are all popular with my students. Hale has moved to the top of my list of authors who should write a novel about boys setting up a babysitting service in their neighborhood (along with Jake Burt and Dan Richards), but I do wish that there had been a few tweaks to some of the wording and situations.
March 9, 2022
Bruce Hale, author of Switched and the Class Pets and Chet Gecko series, writes a humorous MG grade book about finding family and does it with laughter and a bit of adventure. Cooper McCall and his best friend Nacho Perez are not known for self-discipline or paying attention to the rules and that inability to look before leaping leads to a big mess and and an even bigger punishment-forced participation in a Boy Ranger group similar to the Boy Scouts and known for its “dorky” membership. With a former Marine leading the troop and pushing them hard, maybe Coop and Nacho will learn a few things…but the experience may kill them first! Throughout the physical training, the knot-tying, and camping activities, Hale sprinkles jokes, mishaps, and some real life lessons on coping with divorced parents, making new friends, and stepping up and making wise choices. Excellent book for readers in grades 4-7 with no profanity, sexual content, or violence. Representation: Coop is white-Japanese and Nacho is Hispanic, diverse families include single parent, blended, and same-sex parents.
Thanks, Bruce Hale, for sending an arc to a member of arc-sharing group BookAllies!
Thanks, Bruce Hale, for sending an arc to a member of arc-sharing group BookAllies!
January 29, 2023
My 9 year old son and I enjoyed reading this humorous, realistic middle grade book about a boy who is punished for trespassing at an amusement park by being forced to join something like a scouting troop in order to learn self-discipline. I wasn't expecting the seriousness of the storyline in which the main character tries to get his divorced parents back together, and both my son and I appreciated that the 2nd troop leader's character had great qualities as well as flaws and provided an example of an adult who made mistakes and worked to correct them. There were few laugh out loud moments and some fun scenes of adventure while camping in the woods.
I found the book while looking for more camping/outdoor adventure books for my elementary library collection and it delivered a fun read with a serious underlying character arc.
Recommended as a second purchase for elementary library collections with students who express an interest in outdoorsy adventures.
I found the book while looking for more camping/outdoor adventure books for my elementary library collection and it delivered a fun read with a serious underlying character arc.
Recommended as a second purchase for elementary library collections with students who express an interest in outdoorsy adventures.
October 12, 2022
After getting in trouble at the "Perkiest Place on Earth," Cooper and his friend Nacho are enrolled in the Rangers to learn some discipline. The troop they join seems to be a mess with one kid starting a fire and a troopmaster who wants to do the least work possible. When a new troopmaster is appointed, the tone changes, and it's all discipline, marching, exercise, "sir," and actual work. But just maybe they can get out of it if they scare off the new leader with some of their best prank skills. A few small illustrations throughout that add to the humor of the story too. It's a pretty fast read due to the font size and all the sillyness. There's a joke about being on a "warpath," and one character jokes that because he's part "Indian," it's okay. My gut doesn't like it though...
November 2, 2023
Coop thinks he is going to have the best summer ever with bestie Nacho, until they make a bad decision and have to face the consequences. They just join the local boy ranger group to learn discipline. The story has a lot of silly fun and some great illustrations sprinkled throughout. I appreciated the underlying theme of a teen feeling like his parent’s divorce has broken his family and he feels like he doesn’t matter to his dad anymore. I think kids will relate to that. The lessons learned along the way are great. If kids want a fun realistic quick read, this would be a solid pick. Some elements of danger including a bear and a boy who likes fire. 5th grade and up
October 15, 2021
Trying to keep your parents together after a divorce, middle school adventures with your best friend, and antics galore as things may not go as planned, but definitely are remembered! As I read, I could envision my 7th graders laughing and whispering as they read through some of the fun pranks Cooper and Nacho find themselves in and the consequences that are a result.
July 18, 2023
Fun summer story with coming of age vibes!
September 27, 2023
Fun middle grade novel with hilarious first person narration. The way the main character identifies other characters was creative. I loved his character growth throughout.
May 4, 2023
I just couldn’t get past how one adult would be allowed to camp with that group without another adult. The girls went camping as well. What parent would be ok with this?
May 2, 2023
"I was in deep, deep pirate poop."
Cooper and best friend, Nacho, are in trouble again. So, it is decided that they will join a Boy Rangers troop. Mr. Brozny, the troop leader, seems pretty chill (although he allows one of the rangers to set something on fire.) Maybe he's not chill ... maybe he just doesn't know what to do? To make matters worse, Bridget Click (little Miss Overachiever) and Frankie Patel are two girls who are demanding to become a part of the Boy Rangers. Frustrated by this turn of events, Mr. Brozny quits.
Enter Rockwell Hamilton Pierce, former Marine Corps captain, a man who doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. Not only does he expect his troop to become as efficient as a military unit but he expects them to enter the Wilderness Jamboree, which is an annual competition for Rangers. "Troops come from all over the country to test their Ranger skills against each other."
How will this troop of unskilled misfits ever be able to compete? "Excellence begins with belief. If you don't believe you're the best, how can you expect to be the best."
Cooper and best friend, Nacho, are in trouble again. So, it is decided that they will join a Boy Rangers troop. Mr. Brozny, the troop leader, seems pretty chill (although he allows one of the rangers to set something on fire.) Maybe he's not chill ... maybe he just doesn't know what to do? To make matters worse, Bridget Click (little Miss Overachiever) and Frankie Patel are two girls who are demanding to become a part of the Boy Rangers. Frustrated by this turn of events, Mr. Brozny quits.
Enter Rockwell Hamilton Pierce, former Marine Corps captain, a man who doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. Not only does he expect his troop to become as efficient as a military unit but he expects them to enter the Wilderness Jamboree, which is an annual competition for Rangers. "Troops come from all over the country to test their Ranger skills against each other."
How will this troop of unskilled misfits ever be able to compete? "Excellence begins with belief. If you don't believe you're the best, how can you expect to be the best."
October 17, 2023
Super Troop is super cute. The characters all learn something whether it is responsibility, the love of family, or the stability of a friendship.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews