December 3, 2021
Gr 1-3-A new villain challenges Super Turbo, the heroic hamster and official pet of Classroom C. In fact, all of Sunnyview Elementary School's superpets are facing the same mechanized menace in each classroom: electronic pencil sharpeners. While investigating their new nemeses, the pets learn empathy for the convenience the new sharpeners give the students. Likewise, the teachers and students realize they must be mindful of machines' effect on nearby animals, whether it be noise or clutter. The superpets are as colorful as their costumes, and the students are diverse in terms of race. Both groups communicate well among themselves, listening to each speaker and sharing ideas with one another. Bright, gradient backgrounds reinforce the gentle optimism of this book and series. VERDICT Animals and people learn to consider others' experiences in this superheroic team-up about empathy.-Thomas Maluck
Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 15, 2021
A superpowered class pet faces off against a mysterious new foe. In this third graphic installment, something is disturbing the peace in Classroom C at Sunnyview Elementary: A shiny new electric pencil sharpener has been installed over Super Turbo's cage in Ms. Beasley's room. While the students are delighted by the novelty of quickly sharpened pencils, the noise and intrusion of shavings into his cage are making the hamster miserable. He calls a meeting of the Superpet Superhero League, his team of neighboring class pets with superpowers. They deduce that this sharpener must be the work of evildoer Pencil Pointer. As they investigate, it is apparent that a second mystery is also occurring: An undefined "trial" in the cafeteria has emptied it of their favorite sugary snacks. Could past nemesis Whiskerface be responsible for all these crimes? Unsurprisingly, the classroom pets realize that perhaps they may have made an error by jumping to conclusions too quickly; readers will be able to solve the case long before Super Turbo and his pals do. While the bright colors and adorable animals are quickly recognizable to those familiar with earlier installments, this volume manages to feel both rushed and bland, and its resolution comes across as disappointingly saccharine. A two-page teaser for the next adventure is included. Human students are diverse, but the only two named human characters are White. A disappointing slump. (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)
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