After the worst first day of school ever, Reggie “Pukey” McKnight wants to get through the school year out of the spotlight and on the sidelines. He wants to turn his image around, but he has other things on his mind as well: his father is out of a job; life with his best friends is getting complicated by race and romance; and his nemesis Donovan is out for blood.
The elections for school president are coming up, but Reggie wouldn’t stand a chance, if he even had the courage to run. Then he gets involved with a local homeless shelter, and begins to think about making a difference, in his world and beyond. And when a pair of “Dora the Explorer” sneakers seem to have powers of transformation, Reggie begins to wonder: Pukey for President? It can happen…if he starts believing.
“…a masterful debut…a layered middle-school tale filled with characters who are delightfully flawed and, more importantly, striving to overcome those flaws.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A good-hearted, nuanced story of a young man who dares to be more than his place in a middle-school social hierarchy, a tale rooted in religious faith and social conscience, related with lively good humor.”
–Kirkus
“…Reggie might see himself as a wimpy kid, but he’s anything but as steps up to new challenges and confronts big questions about doing the right thing in a tough world. Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich’s debut novel is a smart and satisfying read for teens and ‘tweens.”
–Amazon Best Books of the Month, January 2010
Watch the “Not A Book Trailer” on Vimeo or Youtube
The book-blogging and online book community is an awesome one; I am honoured to have some of my favourite reviewers, authors, educators, and librarians share their thoughts about Superzero:
“With a lot of humor and insight and in a seriously no-saccharine voice, Perkovich’s debut novel strikes gold on a lot of levels, shining out with some home truths about faith, identity and friendship.”
–award-winning author of MARE’S WAR, and more, Tanita S. Davis
While the way I have described it makes it sound like a typical problem novel, it is so much more, filled with smart characters, thoughtful treatments of religion, homelessness, and unemployment, and a wonderfully middle-school sense of humor. One thing to note is that Reggie is Jamaican and most of his friends and community are not white. The challenges that he and his friends face because of their skin color are handled in an honest, realistic way but are only one part of the story….Did I mention that I loved this book? Because I really, really did. I can’t think of what to compare it to, exactly, but I know it’s the kind of story that will stay with me…and one that I will be handing to students who, like Reggie, wonder what it really means to be a superhero.”
–Through A Glass, Darkly
“As a middle school teacher I believe “8th Grade Superzero” is a book all middle school students should read…I plan on reading this to my students when I return this next week. I also plan on passing a copy on to the principal as an example of how we can get our students motivated for our service days.”
–Musings of a Book Addict
“…In this age of “extreme makeovers” it’s refreshing to see a group of kids who are less interested in name brands and more interested in building an integrated community—if adults want kids to “talk the talk,” they should also support kids’ efforts to “walk the walk” (which is much harder).”
–award-winning author of A WISH AFTER MIDNIGHT, Zetta Elliot
“Rhuday-Perkovich’s characters are funny, sad and multi-dimensional, and you’ll find yourself rooting for every one of them: The incredibly talented Reggie McKnight; his best friend, Joe C.; the political fireball (and possible first crush), Ruthie; and that runny-nosed little pistol, Charlie, who’s convinced that Reggie is a superhero in disguise.”
–Rita Lorraine Hubbard, YA Books Central
“…I am so excited to recommend this goodhearted, funny story. Reggie’s 8th grade year started off badly: on the first day of school, he was invited to present the school pledge. He had planned a fantastic intro involving the comic book hero he and his friend Joe C. had created. It was going to be great. But then, Reggie vomited on stage after a ridiculously big breakfast and a bad case of nerves— and now everyone calls him “Pukey.” How do you overcome that? Reggie wants to find out, and he has his sassy friend Ruthie and talented Joe C. to help. Reggie finds an alternate to his Pukey image when his church youth group gets involved with an NPR storytelling project at a local homeless shelter and he becomes a mentor to a kindergartner. Maybe good deeds will pave the way to winning the 8th grade presidency and a newfound popularity? This book reminded me of Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret but with more boy appeal. It’s an exploration of faith, identity, and who we want to be when we grow up. It’s a look at the heroes we look up to and the people who look up to us. But most of all, it’s just a great story.”
–Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne’s Books
“From the very first page, Reggie McKnight put some kind of vice grip around my heart and didn’t ever let go…My favorite thing about Reggie is his willingness to change his mind. Not in a wishy-washy way – in an open-minded way that many adults still haven’t figured out. And when he screws up – which he certainly does, sometimes – he has the guts and the grace to admit to his mistakes and work to fix them.”
–Laura Koenig, at Bib-laura-graphy
“Reggie McKnight is one of those characters from a book who grabs you from the very beginning a never lets go. Everything about him is flawed perfection 
) This is one of the best middle grade books I’ve ever read…funny, heartwarming, sad and inspiring, it has just about everything you could want in a good book!”
–Darcy Wishard at Library Lounge Lizard
“…I was thrilled with this debut novel. Longer than a typical middle grade novel, it fits that older-middle-grade niche perfectly. I have a lot of 6th graders who are too old for many middle grade books but not really ready for YA. Reggie is an eighth grader dealing with the day-to-day problems of being in middle school. There are girl issues, family issues, popularity issues, faith issues, and even global issues. While it may sound like a kid volunteering at a homeless shelter is a little preachy (or unrealistic), Rhuday-Perkovich writes it perfectly.”
–The Reading Zone
“The Verdict: If you haven’t read this awesome debut yet you should definitely plan to. Reggie is a wonderful protagonist and it’s cute and funny and FUN and I am already forcing my youngest brother to read this, and basically this book comes highly recommended by me. READ IT!”
-Ah Yuan, GAL Novelty
” 8th Grade Superzero is jam-packed full of great characters and soul-searching questions.”
–Jeannine Montgomery, Write On
“…funny, uplifting and very cute. I wish all middle school students were like Reggie, Joe C. and Ruthie, the world would be a better place 
The topics discussed in this novel are very real and important ones both on a more world level and a personal level. The personal angst ridden issues pre-teens faced aren’t belittled and that’s very important in a middle grade novel. The author’s voice is authentic, the students all act and speak the way middle school students would. Wonderful characters, a good plot and good writing. Win-win.”
–Reading in Color
“I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered this book, and even more pleasantly surprised by the book itself. I don’t often read middle grade(ish) books, but some books I adored in 2009 were middle grade, so I figured I’d give this one a go. I’m so glad I did! Eighth Grade Superzero is much deeper than it appears, with big themes and ideas along with its entertaining plot and admirable main character.”
–The Frenetic Reader
“In the author bio we learn that Rhuday-Perkovich studied with Paula Danziger and Madeleine L’Engle. I believe this fact shows itself early on in this well layered debut novel….I hope this isn’t the last time we see Reggie and his friends.”
–The Happy Nappy Bookseller
“I really enjoyed this one. It was longer than I’d expected for a middle-grade novel, 322 pages, but the story never dragged, nothing felt superfluous and the result was characters that felt very real, well developed and memorable. Olugbemisola took her time working toward events in the story, letting them unfold rather than “happen”. And she avoided cliched happy-endings, not just at the end, but throughout. Characters don’t always get what they’re hoping for, but maybe they get a different version of it or learn something about themselves in the not-getting. All of this works together to form a story that feels natural and wholly believable. Characters don’t so much change as uncover their hidden strengths. Just like in the real world.”
–Jen Nadol, author of THE MARK
“…Being a teenager and a growing human being is all about asking questions and this book nails that time in our lives when we define ourselves by questioning everything. Reggie questions his parents, their decisions, his teachers and mentors, he questions his friends and their friendships, he questions his past and his future and the “why” of things. He questions G-d and the world, unfairness and racism, he questions motivations and frustrations and most of all, he questions himself. Reggie doesn’t do it cruelly or with melodramatic angst, but with honesty and a humbling tenderness mixed with all-too-real fears and anger, too. Reggie is very practical as well as spiritual with his questions, and while not all of the answers are ones he might have wished for or wanted or (most frustrating of all) even have answers, we are invited to ask our own questions along with Reggie and try on our own answers. This a book that would absolutely rock a classroom discussion.”
–Dawn Metcalf, author of SKIN & BONES (Spring 2011).
Buy 8TH GRADE SUPERZERO live and in style at your local independent bookstore. It’s also available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Borders,
Powell’s, or anywhere you can get it. In NYC, you can purchase it at Brownstone Books, WORD (signed copies), Books of Wonder (signed copies), Hue-Man Bookstore, Greenlight Books (signed copies), and Bank Street Books. Also in New York, signed copies are available at B&N Astor Place, Union Square, Lincoln Center, Court Street, Park Slope, and Crossroads (Greenburgh, Westchester).