Sara Kate, Superkid (Redfeather Book) - Hardcover

Pfeffer, Susan Beth

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805031472 ISBN 13: 9780805031478

Publisher: Henry Holt & Co, 1994

When Sara Kate can suddenly start throwing a basketball for long distances with incredible accuracy and her grandmother says she has inherited temporary superpowers that run in the family, Kate hopes her powers last long enough to win the basketball-throwing contest.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-4-A fast-paced beginning chapter book with appealingly large print for readers who like a novel they can breeze right through. Sara Kate has inherited superpowers from her grandmother that show up "...on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and occasional Saturdays." One of them is the ability to sink a basket from any distance. Stevie, her older brother, is upset that only the females in the family can inherit these powers. But with some coaxing from Gran, he lets his sister take his spot in a basketball throwing contest that offers a $1,000 prize. Naturally, she is the best, but she is disqualified because she's a ringer for Stevie. Nevertheless, since her performance was so overwhelming, she is awarded a $100 gift certificate to a department store, which she shares with her brother. Hankins's black-and-white sketches add depth and clarification to this amusing tale. Children who delighted in Pfeffer's Twin Surprises (1991) and Twin Troubles (1992, both Holt) are certain to enjoy Sara Kate, which should appeal to a wider audience. Helen Cresswell and Judy Brown's Almost Goodbye (Dutton, 1992) is a zanier title about kids with magical abilities that would pair wonderfully with Pfeffer's story.
Christina Dorr, Calcium Primary School, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 1-3. It's going to be hard to resist this story about a "perfectly ordinary" eight-year-old girl who has magical powers "on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and occasional Saturdays." When Sara Kate's arm begins to tingle and she has an overwhelming urge to toss balls, she can sink baskets from incredible distances. After hurriedly explaining that talent is genetic--women in Sara Kate's family who were born on Tuesdays and Thursdays have superpowers--Sara Kate's grandmother enters her in a free-throw contest. The child is a shoo-in to win the $1,000 prize until her power starts wearing off. She breaks the rules to compete before her arm loses its thrust and is discovered, but the crowd is so delighted with her performance, she's awarded $100 anyway. Pfeffer's lighthearted story makes superpowers seem almost possible, even though Sara Kate's mother (who was born on a Friday) doesn't believe in them. Suzanne Hankins' cartoonlike drawings add just the right touch of impishness to this readable fantasy. Chris Sherman

• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co
• Publication date: 1994
• ISBN 10: 0805031472
• ISBN 13: 9780805031478
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 58
• Illustrator: Hankins Suzanne