The incredible powers of Montague Towers by Alan Sunderland

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Scholastic, 2016. ISBN 9781760153649
Highly recommended. Superheroes. Crime fighting. Orphans. Montague Towers is not a Superhero. He is an orphan with limited freedom, some responsibilities and NO power! Due to his age he is left in charge of the orphanage while everyone else goes on a holiday. This is a joy and delight as he finally gets some 'alone time'. An aging Superhero, the Cape of Justice, intrudes into his peace and quiet and Monty becomes embroiled in a quest to restore the credibility of the older Caped crusader and foil the plans of his evil (and ridiculously overweight) nemesis. Monty becomes the recipient of some temporary superpowers lasting only one day at a time and he sets out on a chase to thwart the criminal mastermind before he upsets the entire financial system. Both the Cape of Justice and Montague Towers seem to be the comedic Superhero types as they falter at almost every step in using their powers in pursuit of justice. Will they be able to win the battle against the evil tyrant and his henchmen?
This is a delightfully written book, and the slightly powerless and quirky main character will win the hearts of many young readers as he explores Superhero qualities. (I am assuming that Montague Towers will be making further appearances in the future, as the book would easily lead into another adventure.) The action is fast-paced, the villains are easy to dislike and the main characters are entertaining. And there are pastries! The Prologue begins with Day 3 of the Superpowers and is obviously placed to give younger readers a taste of the action that is to follow and to encourage them to keep reading past the orphanage beginning to explore the mystery of the Superpowers. This was probably unnecessary as Chapter 1 has an equally enthralling and endearing style that would hook a young reader.
Recommended highly - as an entertaining read for young readers (not as great literature).
Carolyn Hull

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