I'm a fan of short story collections, and this one is fantastic! What a concept, turning the superhero trope upside down! Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others, and I look forward to seeing the finished copy with Jarrett Krosoczka's art. Each story focuses on a middle-grade character who has a "minor" superpower, and each author brings something special to their tale, from a kid who can suddenly detect the best avocados (ngl, that's an awesome superpower!) to an inherited matchmaking power. The idea of having special powers is examined through different lenses and while each story has a "moral," some are more apparent than others. What I loved the most was the individuality and creativity of each clever story. I hope that readers will find some new favorite authors through this delightful collection.

A Little Bit Super is a collection of stories about teenagers with superpowers, but their super powers are, unfortunately a bit limited. One teen can talk to animals, but only one day a month. Another can get his wishes granted when he crosses his fingers, but it only works for small, somewhat insignificant wishes. Yet another can sense when avocados are ripe, a superpower no one thought they’d every need.

Each story gives a unique twist to the concept of a superpower, allowing the variety of “superheroes” the chance to find their unique way to shine. The youth can influence the world around them for good if they choose the do so.


The stories are by a variety of authors, including the following: Gary D. Schmidt, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Meg Medina, Daniel Nayeri, Linda Sue Park, Mitali Perkins, and Pam Muñoz Ryan. With such a variety of writers, the volume gives voice to a wide-range cultures throughout the book. I loved seeing such a variety and recognizing how a specific superpower could help one youth’s family, even though it may seems obsolete to the rest of us.

I really enjoyed this collection of stories, and as I read I wondered: what minor superpower would I like?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this collection of hilarious stories by some of my favorite middle grade authors. Characters cope with minor superpowers while also discovering their power to change themselves, find their voice, & celebrate what makes them unique. I recommend this anthology to reluctant readers as short stories are a great way to build reading stamina and to 4th-7th grade teachers looking for short but meaningful read alouds with their classes.

A Little Bit Super is a middle-grade anthology about children who are a “little bit super.” No they can’t fly, teleport, read minds, nor shoot out silk webs…instead, they have one little superpower.
For example:
One can see avocados glow meaning the fruit is ripe and good on the inside. It does prove to be useful.
Or there’s having the ability to change according the wishes and values of any person a girl desperately wants to please. But you have to get kissed by a chameleon for this super to happen

This is definitely a unique book containing the account of thirteen middle school kids with a little bit of super power. That uniqueness is the biggest appeal of this book, otherwise most of the stories move slowly.


Each story is written by a different author with diverse backgrounds. Thus we get diversity in the character representation. Nice!


There appear to be some graphics in between each story. These did not come through in the digital edition or maybe they haven’t been decided upon yet. Graphics would certainly add to the fun of the book.


Be sure to read the bio of each of the authors at the end. They each mention a minor superpower they would choose for themselves. For example…
Pablo Cartaya… to catch all the green lights
Rent Lai…. Ability to bibbidi-bobbidi-boo the dogs sparkling clean every time they roll in poop

All that said I don’t see a lot of appeal to middle school readers. To me the stories were a bit bland,

A Little Bit Super is a fun collection of short stories that will speak to middle graders. This collection will make a great resource for the classroom. The stories are short enough to use for a lesson, but also contain enduring themes that will help students connect to the world. I plan on using many of the stories from this collection with my 6th graders!

In a Nutshell: A middle-grade anthology about children who are a “little bit super”, i.e. they have one only little superpower. An interesting and a diverse assortment of stories herein, but as often happens in a multi-author collection, the result is a mixed bag.

The introductory note sets the right tone for this thirteen-story collection. I love the theme of having a “little superpower”. Superhero stories are usually about great powers such as invisibility or superhuman strength or flight, so imagine having not-so-super powers: a time travel ability where you cannot control where/when you land, or a power that tells you whether a fruit is ripe, as long as the fruit is an avocado. It’s like the superpower adding a clause saying, ‘Conditions apply.’ That uniqueness is the biggest appeal of this book.

The stories are contributed by some of the best contemporary MG-fiction authors such as Pam Muñoz Ryan, Remy Lai, Linda Sue Park, and Daniel Nayeri, among others. The diverse background of the authors also ensures a diversity in the character representation.

The genres are quite varied, ranging from ordinary drama to science fiction to even a story-in-verse.

There appear to be some graphics in between each story. I’d have loved to see these, but the images were missing from my ARC. Graphics would certainly add to the fun of the book.

There is a detailed bio for each author at the end of the book. I wish these were written immediately after the story, so that it would be easier to look up other books by those authors whose stories worked best for us. One thing I liked is that each bio included the mention of one minor superpower the author would choose for themselves; these were fun to read.

As always, I rated the stories individually. Most fell in the mid-range for me, primarily because I liked them but was not blown away by them. My favourite stories were:
🔥 Shift - Nikki Grimes: A story-in-verse about a little girl who can shapeshift only one one day of the week. I loved not just the shapeshift adventures but also the message in this tale. The verse style is also put to good use. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
🔥 The Hieroglyph - Gary D. Schmidt: A 'tricky' story and yet so much fun! I loved how the author didn't keep things overly simple nor go into too many explanations despite the young age of the target audience. He lets the story do the talking only to the extent required. - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

Of course, as this collection is aimed at middle graders, they might enjoy the book far better. MG Fiction is actually among my favourite genres, but some MG books seem to be restricted only to their age group. This is one such example.

Recommended to middle-graders wanting to read an unusual superpower story collection with relatable and inclusive characters. Some of these stories would work well for classroom discussions.

3.1 stars, based on the average of my rating for each tale.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “A Little Bit Super”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Interesting and quirky collection of fantasy short stories. I especially like the contributions by Mitali Perkins and Linda Sue Park.

This is definitely a read for middle school children who feel they don’t belong. It is also a way for readers to get a taste of several authors. This may encourage them to try some longer reads from these authors.

This is a great collection of stories that I would have loved to have as a kid. I want 2.4 Seconds to Sonder turned into a movie, ASAP! I really liked the style of Nikki Grimes' poems, and I am far from a poetry lover. Kyle Lukoff's story was beautiful. The stories are all unique, which is really impressive as they all have the same prompt.

This is a fun collection of short stories. I loved all the authors. The stories are a great mix of humor and inspiration. There is something for everyone