Super Switch

Hero Academy was a school for kids with superpowers. Some of the teachers had superpowers too. Malik’s power was snot. He could sneeze at will and produce large volumes of mucus. The other kids enjoyed the “snot parties” that sometimes happened. Mr. Handy was a teacher who could stretch his arms to incredible lengths. He was able to do two things at once, one task for each hand. This skill helped him immensely while supervising a classroom. Alice could make her hair turn into a variety of colours and textures. Divani was able to fly. When Pedro took a deep breath, he could disappear, and Avi could make his muscles grow huge when he flexed his arms. All these powers could make strange things happen at the school.

Mr. Kaufmann was hired to get the school under control, and Bailey was happy about that because Bailey and Mr. Kaufmann had moved around a lot after Bailey’s mom passed away, and this might be a place for them to settle down. Even though Bailey and their dad did not have superpowers, like Bailey’s mom, Mindstar, who could read minds, Mr. Kaufmann was an inventor and invented many items that could give the user some kind of superpower. When Bailey emptied their backpack, they found laser-beam pencils and erasers that could turn the user invisible and sports socks that would turn them orange. One of the special inventions that Mr. Kaufmann made was a machine called the Cooligizer 3000. In addition to his new rules that prohibited the use of superpowers during class, in the bathroom, in the gym, and in the schoolyard, this machine could tell if the students were handling their superpowers well. All you had to do was place your hands on the machine. If it lit up green, then everything was good. If you were using your superpowers unwisely, then the machine lit up red and made a buzzing sound.

Mr. Kaufmann planned a schoolwide contest to see which classroom could get the highest score by having the highest number of times that green lights appeared. The winning class would get a pizza party. The kids were curious about the new machine and Mr. Kaufmann (who suspiciously looked like Repairo, a bad guy from the comics). Bailey and Malik snuck back into the school, and between Malik’s sneeze and Bailey’s repair, the machine malfunctioned, and the kids’ superpowers were switched. When Mr. Handy showed up, his superpowers were switched too. The school was out of control, with kids switching superpowers and making trouble.

When Bailey approached their dad, the secret was out. He was Repairo, but, after meeting his wife, Mindstar, he became Mr. Kaufmann. She convinced him to be a better person.

In the end, the parents, who, at first, were very upset with what had happened, decided that it was a good idea for the students to experience different superpowers and wanted Mr. Kaufmann to stay on the condition that he repair all the damages done to the school.

This book is divided into 11 chapters with dialogue on most pages. There are black and white illustrations in cartoon format throughout the book to support the text.

Super Switch is about inclusivity and how each person has their own unique traits. The characters in the story are forgiving and willing to give second chances. Children will enjoy the humorous anecdotes.