Secret Identity Crisis (The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1) (1) - Softcover

Bell, Jake

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0545156696 ISBN 13: 9780545156691

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks, 2010

Synopsis

Sixth grader Nate Banks, who's obsessed with comic books, leads a normal life until he discovers his history teacher may be a superhero.

As the three-time winner of the Ultimate Comic Book Trivia Championship of Knowledge, Nate Banks has always been the sixth grade's biggest comic book expert. But when a mysterious new superhero shows up in town, not even Nate knows who she really is. And when he sets out to discover Ultraviolet's secret identity, all of the clues seem to lead Nate to the least likely suspect-his uptight history teacher, Ms. Matthews! Could she really be moonlighting as a super-powered crime fighter? It's up to Nate to find out!

About this title

About the Author:

Jake Bell has worked as a TV sports anchor, a radio disc jockey, an amusement park bathroom cleaner, and a magician. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona, with his two kids.

From Booklist:

Scattered with references to comic-book creators throughout history and inhabited by original superheroes with names like Phantom Ranger and Zilch, it’s clear that Bell knows his super-lore backwards and forwards. What bodes well for the new Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks series is that he’s also well acquainted with the internal life of your average sixth-grade comics fan. It’s wish fulfillment in spades, as the small town of Kanigher Falls gets its first superhero in the form of white-and-purple clad Ultraviolet, who Nate Banks just knows is really his history teacher, Ms. Meadows. The trick is proving it, of course, and as Nate follows the evidence into an unexpected and sinister plot, Bell imparts a lesson about genuine courage and responsibility with little pedantry but lots of panache. He also offers up the unique and convincing character of a slightly melancholy and ambivalent superhero who manages to be vulnerable at the same time that she’s invulnerable, right up to a slam bang, cinematic climax. Includes a short comic book for extra zing. Grades 4-6. --Jesse Karp

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0545156696
• ISBN 13: 9780545156691
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176
• Illustrator: Giarrusso Chris