Saturday, October 6, 2018

DIARY OF A SUPER GIRL

John Zakour is a writer of just about everything. I first saw his name on the wonderful Working Daze comics panel, which is drawn by my friend Scott Roberts. It was a no-brainer that John and I would become friends when we met. Which is when I found out John writes everything. Science fiction novels. Young adult science fiction and fantasy. Interactive works. Humor. Computer games. Short stories. Comic books.

Diary of a Super Girl Book 1: The Ups and Downs of Being Super [KC Global Enterprises; $7.50] is by Katrina Kahler, John Zakour and an uncredited Tayah Payne. The book is aimed at girls nine to twelve, but it’s fun for male and older male readers as well. I mean, how could a still-a-kid-at-heart guy like me not respond to a super-heroine who has to worry about farts that could knock out a hundred people in an instant?

I love the construction of this first in a series of books starring just-turned-thirteen Lia Strong. As she finds out on her birthday, she hails from a centuries-old line of women with amazing powers. The powers may vary from generation to generation, but all of them activate on the thirteenth birthday.

Besides the usual learning how to control her strength, Lia has to contend with the effects of exercise on her body odor, which is, of course, greatly magnified because of her super-powers. She has to watch what she eats because certain foods leads to dangerous levels of bad breath and flatulence. Uncooked broccoli is definitely off her menu. None of which stops her from performing amazing and heroic feats on her first day with super-powers.

Lia’s mom shows great trust in her daughter to do the right thing judiciously. Lia’s best friend is a comic-book fan thrilled to be her confidant and her go-to guy for information on all things super-heroic. It’s a likeable supporting cast.

There are an increasing number of super-hero prose books out there. Many of them are suitable for all ages. However, if you’re looking for something not as well known as the various DC and Marvel books, I think this book would make a terrific gift for a young girl who loves super-heroines and would appreciate a book that’s not yet as well known as it should be. Highly recommended.

ISBN 978-1-5431-7908-8

© 2018 Tony Isabella

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