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How to Save a Superhero
Ten-year-old Addie knows that Superheroes aren't real, and that they certainly don't hide out in retirement communities, but she may just have to change her mind.
Addie and her mom never stay in one place too long. They've been up and down and all around the country. When her mom, Tish, gets a new job at Happy Valley Village Retirement Community in Pennsylvania, Addie believes they'll be on the road again in a month. But this time, something is different--make that, someone. Mr. Norris, a grumpy resident of Happy Valley and. . .a former superhero?
Well, that's what Marwa, whose mom also works at Happy Valley, would try and have Addie believe. Addie and her friend Dickson know better even if there are things they can't explain. Like the time Mr. Norris was about to get hit by a car and was suddenly on the other side of the road or the way his stare seems to take root in Addie's stomach.
When a man starts prowling the Happy Valley grounds, claiming to be the great-nephew of a resident, Addie, Marwa, and Dickson soon stumble into a grand conspiracy involving the Manhattan Project, a shady weapons company, and the fate of the human race, in this smart, funny middle grade novel.
Addie and her mom never stay in one place too long. They've been up and down and all around the country. When her mom, Tish, gets a new job at Happy Valley Village Retirement Community in Pennsylvania, Addie believes they'll be on the road again in a month. But this time, something is different--make that, someone. Mr. Norris, a grumpy resident of Happy Valley and. . .a former superhero?
Well, that's what Marwa, whose mom also works at Happy Valley, would try and have Addie believe. Addie and her friend Dickson know better even if there are things they can't explain. Like the time Mr. Norris was about to get hit by a car and was suddenly on the other side of the road or the way his stare seems to take root in Addie's stomach.
When a man starts prowling the Happy Valley grounds, claiming to be the great-nephew of a resident, Addie, Marwa, and Dickson soon stumble into a grand conspiracy involving the Manhattan Project, a shady weapons company, and the fate of the human race, in this smart, funny middle grade novel.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published October 19, 2021
8 people are currently reading
1636 people want to read
About the author
Ruth Freeman
2 books20 followersRuth Freeman's most recent novel, How to Save a Superhero, for 8-12 year olds, is the story of Addie who hangs out at a retirement home waiting for her mother to get off work. The newest resident, Mr. Norris, is a grumpy old guy who, it turns out, could be a real...no, a REAL superhero? Or he could have dementia. Addie discovers that maybe the best way to save a superhero is to help him be the superhero he never was!
Ruth's previous novel was One Good Thing About America, inspired by her work teaching English to students new to the U.S. Previously, she had four nonfiction picture books published, histories of beds, hairstyles, candy and underwear, She grew up outside of Philadelphia and now lives happily in Maine.
Ruth's previous novel was One Good Thing About America, inspired by her work teaching English to students new to the U.S. Previously, she had four nonfiction picture books published, histories of beds, hairstyles, candy and underwear, She grew up outside of Philadelphia and now lives happily in Maine.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 22, 2021
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“How to Save a Superhero” is a charming middle-grade novel with a unique plot that I liked reading.
Firstly, I commend the author for writing such a creative plot. What happens when you hear someone from the retirement home is a potential superhero? The tagline had me hooked to the story, and I enjoyed reading it.
The highlight of the story is the characters. Addie is adorable in the role. I loved her zest for exploring and how she teams up with the cast to solve various mysteries, like the one with the missing pearls. Mr. Norris is also another highlight of the tale. While he is a question mark of being a superhero, I liked how he supports Addie, for instance, with Mrs. Sloat.
Similarly, Dickson is hilarious as he teams up with Addie to learn about Mr. Norris’s past. Also, Addie has a beautiful relation with Tish, and I adored the bond they shared. The author also had me chuckling at a few moments, like when Tish and Addie talk about stewed prunes. But, my favorite character was Marwa. I just loved her to bits.
Moreover, I liked how the author wrote the story. There are quite a few small plots that interconnect somehow, and Addie never has a dull moment. Characters like Mrs. Sloat and Marcus Fox added nicely to the story, and even the premise of whether Mr. Norris was a superhero or not intrigued me. I also enjoyed the events at the Halloween party that led to an exciting climax.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “How to Save a Superhero” and found it an intriguing middle-grade novel. I will miss the Happy Valley Village Retirement community’s residents and hope to revisit these characters soon in the future.
October 17, 2021
HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO is a cute middle grade read about family, community, and everyday magic. Addie and her mother, Tish, have always moved around a lot, and Tish's latest job at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community does not seem like it would stick, even though Addie hopes it will. On her mother's first day, she heads over there to hang out while she finishes up, and meets a boy about her age who is waiting for his own mother, Dickson, and they start a friendship.
Soon, Addie is meeting the residents, including the mysterious Mr. Norris, who seems like he might actually be a superhero. As things begin happening at the retirement community that could mean another move for Addie and Tish, it seems like Mr. Norris is luckily on their side. As Addie deals with her feelings about family and life, she is also intrigued by the possibility of Mr. Norris's superhero status.
With a charming cast of characters and a compelling heroine, HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO is a really great middle grade contemporary. I particularly appreciated the moments of community, belonging, and family that Addie begins to find, as well as her stories with her Granny Lu, who helped give her a love of maps. The magic and connection with the elderly population really makes this book shine, in addition to themes around Addie coming into her own and finding her own place. It's also really great to hear her and her mother's story (her mother was 17 when she had Addie), which is a great rep for a middle grade read that is not often seen.
Definitely recommend picking this one up for middle grade readers of all ages who appreciate stories with a bit of mystery, community, and maybe even a superhero.
Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Soon, Addie is meeting the residents, including the mysterious Mr. Norris, who seems like he might actually be a superhero. As things begin happening at the retirement community that could mean another move for Addie and Tish, it seems like Mr. Norris is luckily on their side. As Addie deals with her feelings about family and life, she is also intrigued by the possibility of Mr. Norris's superhero status.
With a charming cast of characters and a compelling heroine, HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO is a really great middle grade contemporary. I particularly appreciated the moments of community, belonging, and family that Addie begins to find, as well as her stories with her Granny Lu, who helped give her a love of maps. The magic and connection with the elderly population really makes this book shine, in addition to themes around Addie coming into her own and finding her own place. It's also really great to hear her and her mother's story (her mother was 17 when she had Addie), which is a great rep for a middle grade read that is not often seen.
Definitely recommend picking this one up for middle grade readers of all ages who appreciate stories with a bit of mystery, community, and maybe even a superhero.
Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
October 16, 2021
This is a cute and funny book about A young girl who’s mom moves around a lot and ends up getting a job at a retirement home. That’s when Addie and her new friend Dickson meet A grumpy Mr. Norris. Soon Addie and Dickson start noticing strange things about Mr. Norris could he be doing things that can’t be explain.
I think children between 8-12 will enjoy reading this journey between Addie,Dickson and Mr Norris.
I think children between 8-12 will enjoy reading this journey between Addie,Dickson and Mr Norris.
October 7, 2021
Addie and her mom, Tish, never stayed in the same location for to long. They have traveled all around the country. When Tish gets a new job at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community in Pennsylvania, Addie believes they will be on the road again within the month.
One of the residents, Mr. Norris, might help them stay longer. Mr. Norris is a grumpy resident who wants to move back home but, the other children in the community believe that he is a superhero. Addie is having a hard time believing there are superheros but, then these strange occurrences keep happening that Addie can't make sense of. Then a mysterious man has appeared and claims to be a reporter for a newspaper and a long last relative of a resident. Addie realizes that Mr. Norris and the mysterious man is hiding secrets that can be deadly.
I thought the book was an okay read. The story had some interesting parts but, I felt like it was a bit dry and lacked humor. The book is a good read for young readers who like reading about superheros with whimsical characters.
One of the residents, Mr. Norris, might help them stay longer. Mr. Norris is a grumpy resident who wants to move back home but, the other children in the community believe that he is a superhero. Addie is having a hard time believing there are superheros but, then these strange occurrences keep happening that Addie can't make sense of. Then a mysterious man has appeared and claims to be a reporter for a newspaper and a long last relative of a resident. Addie realizes that Mr. Norris and the mysterious man is hiding secrets that can be deadly.
I thought the book was an okay read. The story had some interesting parts but, I felt like it was a bit dry and lacked humor. The book is a good read for young readers who like reading about superheros with whimsical characters.
October 11, 2021
How to Save a Superhero is the first book I have read by Ruth Freeman. I found Addie’s story to be entertaining. It is far from predictable and kept me involved in the tale to keep reading. I liked it.
I am giving How to Save a Superhero four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who are between the ages of eight and twelve years old and likes to get into mystery and fun reads. I would love to read more like this one by Ruth Freeman in the future.
I received a paperback copy of How to Save a Superhero from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
I am giving How to Save a Superhero four and a half stars. I recommend it for readers who are between the ages of eight and twelve years old and likes to get into mystery and fun reads. I would love to read more like this one by Ruth Freeman in the future.
I received a paperback copy of How to Save a Superhero from the publisher, but was not required to write a positive review. This review is one hundred percent my own honest opinion.
February 1, 2022
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO ABOUT?
Ten-year-old Addie and her mom have one of those relationships where you're not sure who the parent is a lot of the time. While it's clear that Tish is devoted to her daughter, she's not really devoted to anything else—especially her frequently changing employers in frequently changing towns. Since her mother died, she just hasn't been able to hang on to anything, and Addie's been emotionally untethered since then, too.
Now they're staying with another one of Addie's aunts and Tish is working at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community on a one-month trial. After school, Addie joins a couple of other children of employees and spends time with some of the residents.
One resident, in particular, is a favorite of Addie's—and her mother seems to be the only employee that he seems to tolerate. Mr. Norris has been having trouble with falling, so he's in the HVV until he can regain his stability.
One of Addie's friends becomes convinced that Mr. Norris is a super-hero—and there have been some strange things happening around him—Addie can't believe it. Another friend is convinced that he's a retired Professional Wrestler. Addie's not so sure about that one, either.
The three friends do what they can to get to the bottom of Mr. Norris' identity (over his strident and cantankerous objections), and find themselves in the middle of other adventures with some of the other residents while they're at it.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO?
This was an okay book. It did everything it needed to do and was well told. I never really connected to any of the characters, or any of the rest of it. I can't tell you what it was missing, but it seemed to be missing that spark.
It was enjoyable enough—just enough—and it's likely that the target audience will find it more entertaining than I did. So, sure, I'd recommend it for a middle-grade reader, but I wouldn't necessarily tell anyone older they'd enjoy it.*
* That sounds harsh to me, I'm not trying to be...
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“Adelaide. Now that’s a name you don't hear very often. I think it’s old German by way of French. How do you do, Adelaide? My name is Minerva, after the Roman goddess of wisdom. I have a theory that interesting people have interesting names. Are you interesting?”
After taking a moment to think about it, Addie said, “I’m kind of working on it.”
“Good answer,” said Minerva Swift. “I’m working on it too.”
WHAT'S HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO ABOUT?
Ten-year-old Addie and her mom have one of those relationships where you're not sure who the parent is a lot of the time. While it's clear that Tish is devoted to her daughter, she's not really devoted to anything else—especially her frequently changing employers in frequently changing towns. Since her mother died, she just hasn't been able to hang on to anything, and Addie's been emotionally untethered since then, too.
Now they're staying with another one of Addie's aunts and Tish is working at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community on a one-month trial. After school, Addie joins a couple of other children of employees and spends time with some of the residents.
One resident, in particular, is a favorite of Addie's—and her mother seems to be the only employee that he seems to tolerate. Mr. Norris has been having trouble with falling, so he's in the HVV until he can regain his stability.
One of Addie's friends becomes convinced that Mr. Norris is a super-hero—and there have been some strange things happening around him—Addie can't believe it. Another friend is convinced that he's a retired Professional Wrestler. Addie's not so sure about that one, either.
The three friends do what they can to get to the bottom of Mr. Norris' identity (over his strident and cantankerous objections), and find themselves in the middle of other adventures with some of the other residents while they're at it.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT HOW TO SAVE A SUPERHERO?
This was an okay book. It did everything it needed to do and was well told. I never really connected to any of the characters, or any of the rest of it. I can't tell you what it was missing, but it seemed to be missing that spark.
It was enjoyable enough—just enough—and it's likely that the target audience will find it more entertaining than I did. So, sure, I'd recommend it for a middle-grade reader, but I wouldn't necessarily tell anyone older they'd enjoy it.*
* That sounds harsh to me, I'm not trying to be...
February 28, 2022
The climax of this book made me so angry that it took me two weeks to rage skim the full ending.
Why? It broke its own internal logic and provided no set up for a lot of the things that happened. Most notably, in the whole beginning of the book there is no mention of superheroes, though it's hinted at that Mr. Norris may be one because extraordinary/inexplicable things happen when he's around. Yet, SOMEHOW, at the end of the book . That really infuriates me because kids are smart, and I feel like that disrespects them as readers. I also had a real problem with Addie suddenly acting like/referring to Mr. Norris as a senile old man (not in those exact words) who just makes things up. It was so infantilizing and gross, especially since the whole point of that part of the book was for him to prove that he actually was fully in control of his mental faculties.
I was also VERY confused by the fact that Addie called her mother by her first name, especially because she refers to her as "Mom" in the beginning. But even if she didn't, that's not the norm so I feel like an explanation was warranted. Maybe it was explained at the end when I was skimming.
The beginning of the book fared better. I love young people hanging out with elderly people, and I really appreciated that all of the action happened at the actual senior living facility, though some things that happened at the school were mentioned. I also thought the characters as a whole were generally interesting.
Basically, I think this book is fine if you don't care about things like continuity and internal logic. I also think this would make a better movie than book.
1.5 stars
Why? It broke its own internal logic and provided no set up for a lot of the things that happened. Most notably, in the whole beginning of the book there is no mention of superheroes, though it's hinted at that Mr. Norris may be one because extraordinary/inexplicable things happen when he's around. Yet, SOMEHOW, at the end of the book . That really infuriates me because kids are smart, and I feel like that disrespects them as readers. I also had a real problem with Addie suddenly acting like/referring to Mr. Norris as a senile old man (not in those exact words) who just makes things up. It was so infantilizing and gross, especially since the whole point of that part of the book was for him to prove that he actually was fully in control of his mental faculties.
I was also VERY confused by the fact that Addie called her mother by her first name, especially because she refers to her as "Mom" in the beginning. But even if she didn't, that's not the norm so I feel like an explanation was warranted. Maybe it was explained at the end when I was skimming.
The beginning of the book fared better. I love young people hanging out with elderly people, and I really appreciated that all of the action happened at the actual senior living facility, though some things that happened at the school were mentioned. I also thought the characters as a whole were generally interesting.
Basically, I think this book is fine if you don't care about things like continuity and internal logic. I also think this would make a better movie than book.
1.5 stars
January 13, 2022
I ended up liking this chapter book much more than I expected to, and I'd rate it a 3.5 for its originality and its charming qualities. It was so refreshing to read a book about active, empowered, and engaged elderly residents in a retirement home and the connections they made with youngsters several decades younger than they are. After the death of her grandmother in Maine, fifth-grader Addie has moved more times than she cares to count. Her mother seems to find something problematic about her job or residence, and they pull up stakes and move on quickly. But now that they're in Pennsylvania for her mother's job at Happy Valley Village Retirement Community, Addie starts feeling like they might be home, thanks to two new friends, Dickson and Marwa. As Addie and her friends learn the truth about Mr. Norris, a grouchy, reticent new resident of the facility, they realize that they have heroic characteristics that might come in handy when saving him from a dastardly plot. And oh, how effectively has Ruth Freeman, the book's author, drawn her characters, especially those villains, Mrs. Sloat and Marcus Fox. I also appreciated the subplot concerning the severe bullying endured by Dickson at school. I'm sure plenty of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders will be able to relate.
November 5, 2025
A very cute book
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews