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Powerless (Daniel Corrigan #1)
by
Matthew Cody (Goodreads Author)
Superheroes soar in this promising debut—and they’re kids!
Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice—but odd—new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they’re haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirt...more
Twelve-year-old Daniel, the new kid in town, soon learns the truth about his nice—but odd—new friends: one can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible. The superkids use their powers to secretly do good in the town, but they’re haunted by the fact that the moment they turn thirt...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 5th 2011
by Yearling
(first published September 1st 2009)
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Nov 07, 2012
Jennifer Wardrip
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
trt-posted-reviews
Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com
Daniel can't help noticing some of the kids in his new town are a little... unusual. The girl across the street sometimes moves faster than he can see. The school bully can throw kids twelve feet in the air. And his classmate, Eric, always seems to know where there's trouble.
After a near fatal fall, Daniel's friends let him in on their secret - they have superpowers. It's been happening in the town for generations, a fact carefully kept secret thanks to...more
Daniel can't help noticing some of the kids in his new town are a little... unusual. The girl across the street sometimes moves faster than he can see. The school bully can throw kids twelve feet in the air. And his classmate, Eric, always seems to know where there's trouble.
After a near fatal fall, Daniel's friends let him in on their secret - they have superpowers. It's been happening in the town for generations, a fact carefully kept secret thanks to...more
"Powerless" by Matthew Cody is an easy book to overlook. Superheroes -- been done before, especially for middle grade readers. But to overlook this little gem would be a mistake. Cody really takes what is not a novel idea and makes it his own.
Perhaps what makes the story so compelling to read is that the main character, Daniel, has no superpowers. He moves to a town where many of the kids his age (twelve) have really cool powers. Some can fly. Others are really strong. Some of the kids are good,...more
Perhaps what makes the story so compelling to read is that the main character, Daniel, has no superpowers. He moves to a town where many of the kids his age (twelve) have really cool powers. Some can fly. Others are really strong. Some of the kids are good,...more
The book Powerless by Matthew Cody is an amazing mystery that all kids should read. In the book the main character thomas is moving to Nobel's Green which is said to be the safest place in the states, thomas soon discovers why it is called that. On his first day of school he automatically was introduced to the school bully. As he watched the school bully beat on other kids he saw how far he could punch and throw them which was about 10-12 feet which was very very weird to him. Then his little br...more
How would it be to have a superpower? Flying would sure be pretty cool, right? In Powerless by Matthew Cody, I'd recommend flying past this bland, predictable fiction text.
This book, set in modern-day, follows the normal Daniel Corrigan and his move to the town of Noble Green, "The Safest Town on Earth." When Daniel's younger brother, Georgie, is stuck in a road, Daniel is left surprised when enighbor Mollie Lee was able to rescue Georgie in a heartbeat. It's not long until he notices how pow...more
This book, set in modern-day, follows the normal Daniel Corrigan and his move to the town of Noble Green, "The Safest Town on Earth." When Daniel's younger brother, Georgie, is stuck in a road, Daniel is left surprised when enighbor Mollie Lee was able to rescue Georgie in a heartbeat. It's not long until he notices how pow...more
Powerless
By: Matthew Cody
Powerless is a book about the adventures of a twelve year old boy name Daniel who lives with his Mom, Dad and younger brother. Daniel has never been a very important person, but he soon realizes that he is part of solving a great mystery, a problem that has been troubling the young Superheroes of his town for many years. Why did their powers just vanish as soon as they turn thirteen? Throughout his new adventurous life he discovers that special kids in his new town have...more
By: Matthew Cody
Powerless is a book about the adventures of a twelve year old boy name Daniel who lives with his Mom, Dad and younger brother. Daniel has never been a very important person, but he soon realizes that he is part of solving a great mystery, a problem that has been troubling the young Superheroes of his town for many years. Why did their powers just vanish as soon as they turn thirteen? Throughout his new adventurous life he discovers that special kids in his new town have...more
Sep 15, 2011
Kitty
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Middle-Schoolers
Recommended to Kitty by:
My librarian
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
If you could have a superpower what would it be? What would you use the powers for? In "Powerless", the small town of Noble Green, PA is lucky to be the place of residence to a few special children who are born with superpowers – the ability to fly, become invisible, manipulate electricity, have super strength and heightened senses, and even super stench! Some of these children use their powers for good, and a few use them for bad. But what if these powers were suddenly taken away from you on yo...more
Kids like to think about having superpowers, and there have been a number of great children's novels (Riordan's Percy Jackson series and Ingrid Law's Savvy for instance)starring kids with remarkable abilities. While this story is not nearly as well written, it is set apart by its comic book like characters, sensibilities, and themes. The town of Nobles Green is home to a group of children with superpowers ranging from super speed, strength, and senses to the ability to control electricity, to fl...more
Daniel's not too happy when his family moves to Noble's Green, PA to take care of his seriously ill grandmother, since the move means leaving his long-time best friend. It doesn't take Daniel long to make new friends, and to discover that their secret superpowers are one of the reasons Noble's Green calls itself the safest town on earth. But, when the kids with superpowers turn 13 they always lose both the powers and their memories of ever having had them. Several of his new friends are rapidly...more
Daniel is an average junior high kid who moves with his family to a small town called Noble Green. The town looks innocent but it harbors a secret that Daniel uncovers when he makes friends with six of his fellow classmates. You see, all of them have a superpower. Some can fly, some can control electricity and others are super-strong. And they are not the first ones with these mysterious powers. There have been others before them but for some reason, everone seems to lose their powers when they...more
Putting aside my bias of young-adult fiction (I don't know why I continue to read them, I guess every once and awhile I find one that I really like), this book still fell short. It wasn't terrible, but it was definitely nothing special.
There was some good potential there with a good premise (although not very original)--a kid moves to a town where there are super-powered children, who follow a set of "mysterious rules" (which ARE in fact cheesy--don't go to the abandoned quarry ever!). When they...more
There was some good potential there with a good premise (although not very original)--a kid moves to a town where there are super-powered children, who follow a set of "mysterious rules" (which ARE in fact cheesy--don't go to the abandoned quarry ever!). When they...more
Something strange is going on in the town of Noble's Green. It is the safest town on earth, but that is because its children are hiding a secret. Some of the children, anyway, have superpowers. Eric and Mollie can fly. Rohan can hear and see and sense things beyond the normal range. Simon can control electricity. Rose can turn invisible. Louisa can walk through solid objects. Clay is super strong and Bud is super smelly. They keep their town safe while following four rules.
Then Daniel moves to t...more
Then Daniel moves to t...more
Read after a strong recomendation from Lynn. This is a superhero story told from the perspective of the kid without super powers - kind of like that issue of Superman that features Jimmy Olson as the hero who saves the Man of Steel. Solid themes of power, heroism, and friendship. Overall the various elements of the story are woven together pretty well, and I enjoyed the way that the story unfolded. I was very intrigued from chapter to chapter to see where things would go. This is a page-turner a...more
Grades 4-7
When Daniel moves to the little town of Noble's Green, PA so that his parents can help care for his sick grandmother, he quickly realizes there's something a little odd about the kids he meets: a secretiveness, and evidence of skills that far surpass normal human abilities. After one of his new friends saves Daniel from a terrible multi-story fall, the group admits that they have superhero powers. But on their 13th birthday, they lose those powers and any memory of them, not even remem...more
When Daniel moves to the little town of Noble's Green, PA so that his parents can help care for his sick grandmother, he quickly realizes there's something a little odd about the kids he meets: a secretiveness, and evidence of skills that far surpass normal human abilities. After one of his new friends saves Daniel from a terrible multi-story fall, the group admits that they have superhero powers. But on their 13th birthday, they lose those powers and any memory of them, not even remem...more
When twelve-year-old Daniel moves to Noble’s Green, he befriends a group of local children who have superpowers. The catch? On the eve of a super’s thirteenth birthday, their powers disappear and they have no memory of ever having superpowers. Loved the concept for this book, and the plot isn’t too shabby (excluding an extremely unrealistic depiction of broken bones). But Daniel bugged the bejeebus out of me (don’t get me started with the portrayal of girls in this book). It also annoyed me how...more
Powerless tells the story of Daniel, a twelve-year-old boy who has recently moved to a new town, Noble’s Green, so his parents could take care of his very sick grandmother. Even though Daniel thinks being the new kid in town might be the hardest part of the move, he quickly learns it is not. He meets kids around his age and after a near tragic event, learns that they have super powers, such as being able to fly and being able to turn invisible. How could he possibly fit in with these super hero...more
Jul 05, 2011
Alyssa Calhoun
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-choice-2011
Daniel is upset when his family moves to Noble's Green. Soon, he notices that something is a little bit different about a few of the kids there. They eventually let him in on their secret: they have super powers. Some of them can fly, have super strength, speed or be invisible. However, they subscribe to a certain set of rules: use the powers to help, not hurt; don't go to the quarry, it ends at 13, and don't let adults find out. On their 13th birthdays, something happens and they lose their pow...more
Cody, Matthew POWERLESS R 5-8
Not only is 12-year old Daniel the new kid in town, trying to fit in, but he soon discovers that his new friends have secret superpowers such as superhuman strength, senses, and the ability to turn invisible or fly. Is there any use for Daniel’s normal, human talents? An avid Sherlock Holmes fan, he soon finds himself investigating why the “supers” lose their powers, and any memory of them, when they turn thirteen. Inspired by classic superhero comics, the plot incl...more
Not only is 12-year old Daniel the new kid in town, trying to fit in, but he soon discovers that his new friends have secret superpowers such as superhuman strength, senses, and the ability to turn invisible or fly. Is there any use for Daniel’s normal, human talents? An avid Sherlock Holmes fan, he soon finds himself investigating why the “supers” lose their powers, and any memory of them, when they turn thirteen. Inspired by classic superhero comics, the plot incl...more
Matthew Cody has created a comic book, chapter book involving a group of kids from Noble's Green who have super powers that they use for good....never bad. Named for Johnny Noble, a trapper who managed to rescue a group of orphans when a comet hit and set the orphanage on fire some 70 years ago, these kids went on to realize their super powers and use them to secretly rescue and save the lives of many citizens. Where the younger generation of supers get their powers is not clear in the story, bu...more
Powerless
By Matthew Cody
Book Review By Graham Heckert
This is a fantastic book is great for kids who love super heroes and supernatural powers. In the town of Noble's Green a new boy, Daniel, and his family is moving in with his grandmother. Poor Daniel is so far away from his old friends. Daniel meets some strange kids. Daniel later on figures out that each one of them has supernatural powers. One can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible! Together, th...more
By Matthew Cody
Book Review By Graham Heckert
This is a fantastic book is great for kids who love super heroes and supernatural powers. In the town of Noble's Green a new boy, Daniel, and his family is moving in with his grandmother. Poor Daniel is so far away from his old friends. Daniel meets some strange kids. Daniel later on figures out that each one of them has supernatural powers. One can fly, another can turn invisible, yet another controls electricity. Incredible! Together, th...more
What a great tween read! The book was recommended by one of my son's friends. It absolutely grabbed my attention, and I read it in two days. Daniel Corrigan is an absolutely normal 12-year-old boy who moves with his family to his grandmother's house while she is being treated for cancer. He soon finds out that some of his friends are anything but normal. Each one has a superpower and a secret. They will lose their powers on their 13th birthday, but no one knows why. Since Daniel doesn't have to...more
Cody's prologue sold me on this book. The way he described Michael's use of his powers during his last superpowerded race with his freinds was amazing. It's how I would imagine flying would feel in real life. I was a little disappointed that the entire book could not keep up the standad set in the prologue. Cody's choice to have the book follow Daniel, a normal boy, ironically seemed to limit his ability to make me feel any of the aww that I felt while reading the prologue which was written from...more
My last read was very disappointing, and I really wanted something fun, fluffy, and fast to read and cheer things up. I studied my to-read pile, saw a lot of serious stuff, and decided to go with a a light middle-grade book. I think I chose well.
Powerless isn't going to be one of my top reads of the year, but it was exactly what I needed. I would have loved this book to tatters at around ages nine to eleven. It pays homage to the superhero genre, but I like that it took an unusual twist: the mai...more
Powerless isn't going to be one of my top reads of the year, but it was exactly what I needed. I would have loved this book to tatters at around ages nine to eleven. It pays homage to the superhero genre, but I like that it took an unusual twist: the mai...more
My mom's academic work has frequently dealt with heroism -- what are different cultural definitions of a hero? I was a folklore & mythology major in college; what are the stories different cultures tell and what do they say about us? So I love the notion of superheroes -- especially their origin stories and the hard choices they have to make ("with great power comes great responsibility"). But I've never been a reader of superhero comics: I think anything episodic tends to spin out into bori...more
There was a lot of stuff I noticed this time that I read it. I hadn't really noticed that Sherlock Holmes is Daniel's role model. I think that because he is really doing a lot of detective work and I probably skipped over that part the first time I read it because that part was boring for me. But all the clues in his detective work just add up to the big mystery of the big bad guy called the Shroud. All the clues showed in the end that the Shroud is really some old guy with fakeness all wrapped...more
Dec 01, 2012
Laura
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
mystery
This is a fun book about a town full of kids with powers, except for Daniel, the new kid. Where do these powers come from? And why do they disappear (along with the memory of them) when a kid turns thirteen? Daniel decides to use his detective skills to find out. This book started a little slow for me, but once it got going I enjoyed it. I do wish there had been a little more depth, but it was still cute. I can see this appealing to superhero fans and fans of books like Savvy and The Girl Who Co...more
This book was fantastic. I love the twist and suspense as well as the humor Mathew Cody into his work. It's truly well written and offers a whole different perspecitive on what it means to be a hero. Finally a story were the hero is just an ordinary guy who saves his super friends. Now it's cool to fly and everything. But it's even cooler to be persistent and loyal to those super friends that you hold so dear, even when you feel . . . well . . . powerless. The main character Daniel is a Sherlock...more
This book was decent, but a little boring - I expected more adventure from a superhero tale. Slow start, but got more exciting towards the middle. I'm wondering if there will be a sequel, because the action didn't start to build until the middle and end and the resolution wasn't very satisfying. It's supposed to be geared toward middle school boys, but it's a little too tame for them - I think the real audience is more upper elementary through 7th grade. It's a Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee this...more
I thought at first the book was a little confusing with it's indirect characterization on Michael. After that, the story settles in to be pretty good. I had a Skype session with the author of this bok, Matthew Cody, and he said when asked of if a sequel was to arise, he said, "I'm going to let you in on a secret. I just finished the manuscript for the sequel, Super, the other day and my editor e-mailed me a picture of the cover. It is to come out in Fall 2012, so stick around to read the sequel....more
A book about superheroes where the kid without super powers is the hero. It's a nice concept, and the writing is pretty nice in this one. The plot isn't too hackneyed or easy to guess, which happens so much in juvenile mysteries. There's some legitimate misdirection in this one, and not the kind that makes you feel cheated as a reader. There were times, during the action, where descriptions got muddy, and it was hard to visualize what was going on, but these were brief. Over all the book has a v...more
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Originally from the Midwest, Matthew Cody now lives in New York City with his wife and son. When not writing books or goofing off with his family, he teaches creative writing to kids of all ages.
More about Matthew Cody...
