Hello Again!

It’s been a little bit since my last post but in that time I have not stopped reading! I am very glad to be back now and trying to get reviews in for all the books I have finished before the end of the year! I feel like I picked up such a range of books during my time away but many were also books I have had for a while and have been excited to read. So without further ado, let’s jump into our first book, Pizazz!

SPOILERS AHEAD

Pizazz is a superhero, and so is the rest of her family aside from one member! But maybe Pizazz does not want to be a superhero. See her power is not exactly one she loves and on top of that being a hero and saving everyone and sometimes the planet comes with a lot of responsibility. Pizazz is trying her best but it’s hard being in school, hiding your superpower, and dealing with all the associated responsibilities. But Pizazz can definitely do it!

I enjoyed my time with this story immensely. Pizazz is a vastly different perspective on the life of a young superhero. Additionally, almost all of the pages contain an illustration! Each illustration helped bring Pizazz and her family to life even more. As a character, Pizazz was very unique and interesting. Aside from the characters and story, I really adored the cover, it gave off a bright pop art feel that makes it unforgettable!

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

I had so much fun reading about Pizazz and her adventures. I know my 3rd graders would get a kick out of this book, as it is very much like the others they are drawn to right now. Love that it is a girl main character! Definitely adding to the classroom library!

Illustrated with cartoons and fun fonts, this superhero story is perfect for 8 - 10-year-olds transitioning into middle grade! Our grumbly heroine is actually named Pizazz. Not only is her name embarrassing, but she's also embarrassed about her superpower--which she won't tell us about. Also, Pizazz hates how her superhero duties of saving the world come at most inconvenient times AND even if she's tired, she still has to go to school! (So not fair.) At school, she is assigned the job of eco monitor which she dislikes until a classmate named Ivy helps her see that they might be able to save the park...without superhero powers. 100% fun, relatable, and entertaining.

Definite "Diary of a Wimpy KId" vibes here.. Henn has taken an interesting approach to superheroes, showing us the expectations of being a superhero. Pizazz is struggling to balance her hero work with school, friendship, chores. Dealing with her sister's exceptional powers. Here we see the inconvenience of being a hero. Fun but not especially deep.

This was a fun Middle Grade book that was part GN, part chapter book. I can definitely tell this will be popular with young readers!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Pizazz is a super hero with a perfect super hero family. However, she despises her name, her silly cape, and her embarrassing super power. When she's forced to move schools and leave behind her best friends, Pizazz's life goes from plain old blah to terrible!

I guess my Netgalley copy was corrupted or I just received the first 130 pages? Either way, Pizazz's story was kind of all over the place. All of her little dilemmas were very short-lived and easily fixable and randomly interspersed into her taking down over the top and ridiculous "bad" guys. Younger elementary readers will enjoy it. Maybe grades 2nd-3rd. But there are better early elementary graphic novel hybrids out there to choose from.

Almost being a teenager isn't easy, but when you're at a new school and come from a family of superheroes life can be a challenge. Our main character Pizazz is trying to figure everything out. That's not easy though when you're trying to make friends, save the world and just fit in.


Pizazz comes from a long line of superheroes and feels the urgency to help save the world from super villains that show up at the most annoying times. Life gets just a bit harder when you're embarrassed about your abilities when the rest of your family can do all of the cool stuff. I love that she wasn't perfect and clearly had some flaws. Superheroes don't normally appear this way in all of the movies and cartoons out there.


I loved the mix of adventure and just simple middle school stuff. Pizazz switched schools and is having a hard time keeping in touch with her friends from her old school and trying to make new ones. Especially so when she thinks her sister is so much cooler than her. Add in being on a committee to help save the park near school and life gets busy.


Pizazz is full of lessons of growing up, making friends, accepting/liking who you are, family and standing up for what you believe in. This book does that with really fun illustrations and by playing around with the font and size of words. We're all special and unique and that's not a bad thing. I think children will really like this book.

An adorable chapter book / graphic novel hybrid about a young superhero with a very embarrassing super power--trust her--, a very annoying family, and a whole lot of pressure to save the world from certain doom. It's not easy being super. Especially when you're just trying to make some friends at a new school and live up to your annoying cool little sister.

So voicey and fun. I loved the integration of illustrations into everything down to the typography, with certain words being emphasized with playful fonts. I think this one is going to be a big hit with young readers!

"A skeptical superhero navigates a new school in between resenting her sister and saving the world in this charming, visually explosive series starter for middle grade readers." (Full review to come at ShelfAwareness.com)

Although the file I had cut off before the end of the story, I really enjoyed this! It was funny enough for me to read bits out loud to my coworker, and I think kids who enjoy series like Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid will enjoy it as well. And it has an interesting premise!

Pizazz visits the superhero world and plays with comics tropes in entertaining ways. I would be delighted to teach this book, or simply share it with young readers in a classroom.