Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillian

This isn’t what rebellion looks like

Please Don’t Tell My Parent’s I’m a Super Villain by Richard Roberts (Curiosity Quills, $16.99).

This middle grades book has a lot of humor and—of course—heroes and villains, all with special powers, but its real point is how easy it is to make a single decision that can change everything.

Especially if you’re afraid of disappointing your parents.

Penelope Akk is the daughter of super heroes, whom she admires and wants to grow up to be like. She’s got no thought of villainy, super- or otherwise, but then she defends her middle school friends from a super hero sidekick with a bad attitude, and before you can say “Megamind,” the ultra-smart Penelope and her pals are the “The Inscrutable Machine,” a super villain group.

This is not good.

As Penelope, Ray and Claire struggle to keep their secret, they’re also trying to set things right so that they won’t have to be super villains. It’s all so innocent—and yet such a big mistake—that you can’t help but root for the kids, even as they’re making a series of decisions to cover up one action that actually just dig them in deeper.

Yeah, that would be exactly what middle school is like.

Roberts’ story-telling is full of humor and action, which should leave readers flipping pages to find out what happens next. Penelope’s “sidekick”—a sort of WALL-E creation that is a supercharged upcycler—is a fun addition, and Roberts handles the burgeoning crush Penelope has on Ray very well—it’s one place where her behavior is a very good example—but Ray’s preference for a super power other than his native intelligence was a little distressing for this grown-up nerd.

But despite the comic book setting, the emotions in this novel ring true for middle grade readers: the sense that our friends really understand while parents don’t; the fear that what we’re good at isn’t going to win friends and influence people; the fear of disappointing our parents. It’s a time of intense anxiety, and Roberts has done a good job at amping that up for this story so that young readers may recognize themselves—and be grateful that their parents are only disappointed when they forget to take out the garbage.

Has any of you ever watched Sky High? It's a super cool - and very underrated - movie about a kid whose parents are superheroes and he wants to be like them, but seems to be normal despite going to a high school designated to educate the future heroes and sidekicks. Well, the concept of Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain is pretty familiar in some plot points with that.

Penelope "Penny" Akk has it rough. Her parents are the retired heroes Audit and Brainy Akk, two super geniuses, and the middle school girl cannot wait to get her own powers. Everyone keeps telling her to wait, but what do they know? She's so close to unlocking them, she can just feel it! So when her powers do come in a rather abrupt manner, she knows it will be better to keep it a secret and surprise her family later, when she has full control of them. But things never go as planned. A science fair goes wrong, and then her best friend slash crush, Ray Viles, goes picking a fight with Miss A, Original's sidekick. What's a girl to do? What else? She stands by his side and fights, too, and with the help of their friend, Claire Lutra, they win. Too bad they can't celebrate their victory. Now word is out that they're the new black in supervillainy - and heroes and sidekicks won't stop chasing them until they're down! Can Penny stop this madness that her secrets and rash decisions have caused and convince the public she's actually one of the good guys, before her parents find out? And what if, despite denying it, she's actually good at being bad?

As Penny herself would say... Criminy! Who would have thought that I would end up cheering for supervillains? And middle school ones at that! But it's true. The Inscrutable Machine was one team I wouldn't mind to keep as the bad guys!

Penny and her friends were the most refreshing trio I have read - ever since the all-too-famous Golden Trio, that is. They had their ups and downs, and the usual "problems" a middle schooler faces in life, but they tried to see the bright side, and always had a plan to get out of each mess they created - even if their plan rarely worked. They were, first and foremost, a TEAM. Sure, they came at odds with each other, and not all of their feelings were pure. Claire was too self-absorbed and shallow, Ray was a bit too much of a materialist and tended to forget he was the one who got the girls in the heroes' wanted list, and Penny would sometimes forget of anything else other than her own powers and would get unreasonably jealous of Ray mooning over Claire. Oh, yes, I almost forgot about the love trianle. Yeah, there was one, too.

BUT! (And it's a big but, mind you)

Here's the thing. You just can't stay mad at them. Or find it in your heart to dislike the romantic confusion among them. Why? Because Richard Roberts is apparently a genius in what he's doing! Early in the story, Penny informs the reader about the situation:

"Love triangles suck."

When I read that line, I freaked out. I hate love triangles. I avoid them as much as possible. But it turns out that Penny's admission of the problem did the trick, as it served to give a light and humoristic atmosphere. Sure, she was jealous of Claire because of Ray's attraction to her, but she never let that get in the way of their teamwork. She sulked a bit, but that was it. Claire was a shallow and sometimes naive girl, but she would cut her own arm off for her friends - and proved to be more mature and observative in rare occasions. As for Ray, while we never really found out what was his family situation was, it looked like he had missed out on lots of material goods, so it was somewhat natural for him to get dazzled by the sparkles that came with super powers and the cookies that the dark side had to offer.

Now, don't go thinking it was just the characters that kept the story interesting. Not at all! Mr. Roberts has a way with words that makes you unwind and enjoy yourself, as you witness the adventures of this unlikeable trio. Their powers were a delight to read into full development. Their comments and the dialogues through the book were funny and sarcastic, and it was often hard to remember that, hellooo, these are NOT adults we're dealing with, but little kids! The only times when their age showed was when they "fangirled" or when they screwed up - and since this writer has obviously done his homework, this happened a lot, and with all the times having a specific gap between them so that it would not get boring AND add to the suspense and the character growth.

With a plot that is so familiar and yet so new, three main characters that crack you up and make you want to cuddle with them, villains and heroes that never stay on their respectful sides but venture in gray areas whenever it suits them, and lots of fancy, intriguing gadgets, it's no wonder why I recommend this book wholeheartedly. The Inscrutable Machine are sure to guarantee you the best of times!

***I was given an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion stated in this review is solely mine, and no compensation was given or taken to alter it.***

Other review links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/926722018

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/R21T3I5DFW0V01/ref=cm_cr_pr_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00IH0KG1S

The review can also be found at the book's LibraryThing Page.

Set in LA (CA), but with super-heroes and super-villains, 13-year-old Penny Akk with her friends Claire and Ray are looking forward to getting their super-powers and being super-heroes. But fate in the the form of a idiotic super-powered classmate causes the would-be super-heroes to become super-villains! Boy, do they enjoy the mayhem the can cause. However, all is not fun and games as a super-villain mastermind blackmails them in regard to their secret identities. Can they carry out the missions required? Can they clear their names and switch to become super-heroes? Or will their parents find out and they be grounded for life? Enjoy reading and find out!

So, What Are You Going To Be When You Grow Up?, March 24, 2014 By Pop Bop "Pause and Reflect" (Denver, Colorado, United States)

Is there such a thing as cheerful teen angst and confusion? There is, if this book is any evidence.

Penny is the daughter of two famous superheroes. So is her best middle school friend, Claire. Pal Ray isn't technically a superhero child, but he's the naturally smartest guy around. They live in a world in which the children of superheroes usually manifest superpowers, but when the powers manifest and what form they take is always uncertain.

So, we have Penny and Claire anxiously waiting to see if they will have powers, what those powers might be, and when those powers will show up. Sympathetic, and nursing crushes, Ray is standing by.

All three assume they will be good guys. When the powers show up, though, they find themselves, through a series of unlikely events, playing the role of villains. Penny, and sidekicks Claire and Ray, have to struggle with the fact that villainy is more complicated, and possibly more fun, than they ever imagined. Which way will each turn?

A couple of things. First off, the whole good guy/bad guy struggle is a lot more nuanced and interesting than any summary would suggest. These are solid kids coming to grips with the fact that the world is complicated. Second, this is one of the few YA superhero books I've seen in which the lead characters are interesting, self-aware, fairly realistic, and articulate. They are funny; they understand themselves and each other; they have meaningful conversations; they are good and loyal friends to each other; they actually grow and develop as characters in a fashion that is engaging and sometimes unexpected.

The book is long, but doesn't feel padded. You are a full third of the way through before the whole villainy issue even arises. A world that is populated by superheroes has to be created, and it's done in a very matter of fact, almost casual, way. There is a lot of set up and slow development and character setting, which pays off once the book really picks up speed. This may seem odd, but for a superhero action book this one is surprisingly character driven, both by the main characters and by a large number of intriguing secondary characters.

Is it all an extended metaphor for teens growing up? Well yeah, sure. Are these particular teens interesting? You bet. Does the super hero angle add anything? Again yes, because it adds spice and drama and creative flair and energy.

So, for all of these reasons, if you'd like to try something a little out of the mainstream but still with a lot of YA appeal, this could be a nice choice.

Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.

Great story. I started reading and couldn't put it down. Great story line. The characters are great. Love the world the author has created for the characters. I would highly recommend it to others.

I found this book to be a very entertaining and refreshing read, focused on the characters' adventures, and likely something I'd have thoroughly enjoyed in middle school—well, I did enjoy it now, after all. In my opinion, it definitely reaches its aim of providing younger readers with likeable characters, all with their specific traits. Penny, the mad scientist, whose power works in spurts of genius, and whose voice throughout the story I quickly grew fond of. Claire, cute but also resourceful, especially when it comes to using connections to the team's advantage. Ray, who simply was, well, classy, and whose take on circumstances was definitely contagious. At the same time, I could tell they were kids, reacting like kids getting powers, and wanting to have fun with those before it was time to get all serious and act like grown-ups.

Paradoxically, the fact they were kids made the community's reaction to their presence somewhat more believable: with heroes and villains alike used to fighting each other with magic and "adult" powers, throwing in kid-like actions in the middle can be unsettling, and difficult to predict. The Inscrutable Machine did exactly that. As for the heroes/villain community itself, your mileage may vary on the "believability scale". Personally, I found it mostly made sense in its own way: with both sides having super powers, at some point you have to reach some kind of agreement to avoid really wreaking havoc with no one the winner at the end. (That, and the alien invasion in the past, which seemed to have forced them to cooperate.)

Another likeable side of the story was how it really focused on its premise, a.k.a. teenagers accidentally labelled as supervillains, then deciding to play the part until they could "see the errors of their ways and become heroes". I've read too many books that start off with something interesting like that, then veer off toward teenage drama/love stories, with those not being the reason why I picked them in the first place. There is a touch of romantic interest here, but it's subtle, and played in a somewhat comical way, so it agreed with me in the end.

The few qualms I had about this novel were mostly related to the adults' reactions. While some of them were understandable (Brian being too focused on his own science, too much of an air-head when it comes to relationships; the Minx as a playful, secret-loving woman who found fun in what her kid was going through; Lucyfar, who openly plays on her ambiguity as a villain who occasionally does good, so she's left alone...), I thought the Audit, on the other hand, was too oblivious to what was happening. It would've worked if she had had a different personality, but I wondered why she, among all the others, didn't catch that something was going the wrong way? Perhaps this could have been played a little differently. I also wondered about Ray's family: he seemed frightened of their reaction, and so I wish we had had more of a glimpse into that, more explanations. (Unless this book's meant to have a sequel, in which case this question might get an answer later, but I don't know about that yet.)

I'd give this story a 3.5 stars, because of those problems that kept nagging at me. However, I'm still rounding it to a 4. I had fun, plain and simple; I think younger readers would have fun, too; and so I think this has to factor in.

This is one of those cases where I enjoyed a book despite very serious suspension-of-disbelief issues. Accordingly, it gets four stars.

(The following could be considered a bit spoilery, since I discuss things that happen in the book that broke my suspension of disbelief.)

OK, so the main character, Penny, is the child of two superheroes. Her father is a supergenius technologist, and her mother is basically the detective aspect of Batman without the angst.

They're aware that Penny's mad science superpowers are starting to cut in, though they don't realise that they have, in fact, fully cut in. She uses them to give her two friends, Ray and Claire, superpowers as well.

Through a series of events involving their school's Mean Girl, who turns out to be a superhero sidekick, the trio end up getting labelled as supervillains in their super identities. They recognise the mean girl, but she doesn't, apparently, recognise them, despite the fact that Ray's costume is just his normal clothes (including a distinctive hat) plus a mask and a jacket, and the fact that he has a distinctive accent. The mean girl is even responsible for naming Penny's supervillain persona Bad Penny, even though, as I say, she apparently doesn't know that they are the same person.

Claire and Ray also have code names based closely on their real names.

Here's the suspension of disbelief problem. Although several other people, including a supervillain leader, figure out their identities, Penny's parents are clueless. No idea. This despite the fact that her mother's powers are ideally suited for figuring out exactly this kind of thing, and despite the fact that really, it's pretty obvious.

I mean, if there was a powerful "Clark Kent effect" mad science device involved, that would be one thing, though it would also spoil the plot point where the supervillain leader figures out the secret and blackmails them, but there is nothing in the book that makes this blindness of Penny's mother's remotely plausible.

Also, by a suspiciously convenient coincidence, the trio manage to pick up a powerful artifact that they didn't know existed because Penny randomly decides to pretend she's looking for jade as a distraction from something else, and this thing is made of jade.

Also, Claire is apparently extremely good at finding out things using Google that, if they could be found out using Google, would lead to crimes being foiled before they were even started. Probably by Penny's mother.

Also, the kids are way too powerful and successful for 13-year-olds - though I accept that as a genre trope.

So, suspension of disbelief: broken. Oddly, though, I found I didn't mind that much. The characters are fun (and reasonably believable as early teens), the superheroics are fun, the whole thing is enjoyable. You already have to suspend a lot of disbelief for supers in the first place; why not a bit more?

The editing is about what I've come to expect from a small press: not awful, but a long way from great. There are about 30 minor issues, mostly missing words and incompletely revised sentences (seriously, read it backwards, or upside down, or aloud, editors), but the author also appears unaware of the need for an apostrophe in expressions like "after a few minutes' wait", and uses this construction several times. Again, it wasn't bad enough to drop a star.

Definitely on the low end of the four-star spectrum, but overall an enjoyable light read.

This book was great! I really loved it. I plan on recommending it to all my book-loving friends. The characters were great, and it's not easy to make middle school characters engaging. I will absolutely be purchasing any subsequent books that come out in this series. (assuming that there is going to be one!)

I received an ARC from publisher in exchange for an honest review.I had applied for this title via netgallery because I loved the title.I don't usually to be honest look at the publisher, but Curiosity Quills Press has released may unique titles.Although I liked the cover I would have preferred it displaying Penny's first invention the machine.I liked this novel but parts of the story were just to drawn out for me.This book should suitable for any age not just YA category that its in.

I requested this book off NetGalley on a whim after falling in love with the concept--what's not to love about a thirteen-year-old girl embracing her inner mad scientist-slash-supervillain?--and ended up with a big smile on my face for most of the book.

PLEASE DON'T TELL MY PARENTS I'M A SUPERVILLAIN is brimming with fabulous ideas, particularly Penny's excellent inventions and how she uses them, like--HA--the German translator. I also adored the descriptions of Penny using her power, the science behind her discoveries (was it accurate? who knows. was it believable and fun? yep!) and all the shout-outs to superhero/mad science aficionados, like Super Cheerleader Serum, "I have the proportionate strength of a girl my age who exercises," surprise self-destruct buttons...

In short: buckets of fun.