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The Amazing Adventures of Nate Banks #1: Secret Identity Crisis
Sixth grader Nate Banks, who's obsessed with comic books, leads a normal life until he discovers his history teacher may be a superhero. As the three-time winner of the Ultimate Comic Book Trivia Championship of Knowledge, Nate Banks has always been the sixth grade's biggest comic book expert. But when a mysterious new superhero shows up in town, not even Nate knows who she really is. And when he sets out to discover Ultraviolet's secret identity, all of the clues seem to lead Nate to the least likely suspect-his uptight history teacher, Ms. Matthews! Could she really be moonlighting as a super-powered crime fighter? It's up to Nate to find out!
- GenresSuperheroesFiction
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2010
27 people want to read
About the author
Jake Bell
15 books2 followersWhen Jake Bell first declared his intention to become an author when he was seven years old, his mother offered him one piece of advice in pursuing his dream: "Make sure you get a good day job." In the years that followed, Jake found work as a TV sports anchor, a radio disc jockey, a stagehand, a movie studio intern, a file clerk at a law office, an NFL scoreboard operator, a bagel baker, a stockboy in a woman's clothing store, a marketing consultant, a pipefitter, a magician, a cameraman, and an amusement park bathroom cleaner.
Unfortunately, he wasn't getting much writing done. So, during a stint of unemployment, he sat down and wrote SECRET IDENTITY CRISIS, the first book in the AMAZING ADVENTURES OF NATE BANKS series.
Jake lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his two kids, from whom he regularly poaches idea for his books.
Unfortunately, he wasn't getting much writing done. So, during a stint of unemployment, he sat down and wrote SECRET IDENTITY CRISIS, the first book in the AMAZING ADVENTURES OF NATE BANKS series.
Jake lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his two kids, from whom he regularly poaches idea for his books.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 1, 2023
I tagged "illustrated" since there's a "comic" inside—not a full "graphic novel" (maybe "graphic pamphlet").
This is a cute sort of prototype My Hero Academia (or The Incredibles knock-off), about a world where superheroes are just commonplace enough for the public to be familiar with them, but not so common that there are government regulations on them. The main character is Nathan (Nate) Banks, who is an American Midoriya in as far as being a walking encyclopaedia of superhero knowledge while simultaneously having no superpowers himself (...yet?).
The story is very well-written, and I like the whole gimmick of Dr. Content having Nate do a superhero-based extra credit project with the goal of forming a hypothesis and supporting his theory with fact-based evidence, including Nate's plan to gather more evidence by running for student council vice-president in order to get access he would otherwise not have (and conquering his fear of public speaking in the process).
You know, despite . Oops.
The main reason I took a star off is some of the unbelievable parts, like the climax (). Maybe also that the bully gets away with it a little (something I sort of covered in my immediately previous review, though I suppose this being book 1, there's still time for reform in the future). Also, I don't know... it doesn't break a lot of new ground, other than the encouraging of scientific method.
Decent read, not sure if I would continue reading the series or recommend it to others. My Hero Academia is a decent enough alternative.
This is a cute sort of prototype My Hero Academia (or The Incredibles knock-off), about a world where superheroes are just commonplace enough for the public to be familiar with them, but not so common that there are government regulations on them. The main character is Nathan (Nate) Banks, who is an American Midoriya in as far as being a walking encyclopaedia of superhero knowledge while simultaneously having no superpowers himself (...yet?).
The story is very well-written, and I like the whole gimmick of Dr. Content having Nate do a superhero-based extra credit project with the goal of forming a hypothesis and supporting his theory with fact-based evidence, including Nate's plan to gather more evidence by running for student council vice-president in order to get access he would otherwise not have (and conquering his fear of public speaking in the process).
You know, despite . Oops.
The main reason I took a star off is some of the unbelievable parts, like the climax (). Maybe also that the bully gets away with it a little (something I sort of covered in my immediately previous review, though I suppose this being book 1, there's still time for reform in the future). Also, I don't know... it doesn't break a lot of new ground, other than the encouraging of scientific method.
Decent read, not sure if I would continue reading the series or recommend it to others. My Hero Academia is a decent enough alternative.
October 5, 2020
B. fiction, children's fiction, upper elementary, superheroes
February 22, 2017
Nate loves comic books and superheroes. He has even won a competition at the local comic book store because he knows so much about them so he's very excited when his town finally has its own superhero arrive. No one knows much about Ultraviolet except that she's fast, strong and can fly but Nate is determined to find out more. He receives an added incentive when his science teacher offers him extra credit to find out everything possible about Ultraviolet, including her secret identity. Before long Nate has a guess about who she might be in real life but it seems impossible since his guess is his super-strict history teacher.
This is a fun book that follows a pretty typical superhero arc. The villain is pretty easy to figure out but I still enjoyed him as a character as well as his motivation for becoming Ultraviolet's nemesis. My favorite part of the book, however, is the way all the other superheroes are just thrown into the narrative as if we just know about them. I found myself marveling at how clever Bell is in imagining heroes and their powers. And I wish that I knew more about lots of them. Since this is a series, it's possible that will be happening.
This is a fun book that follows a pretty typical superhero arc. The villain is pretty easy to figure out but I still enjoyed him as a character as well as his motivation for becoming Ultraviolet's nemesis. My favorite part of the book, however, is the way all the other superheroes are just thrown into the narrative as if we just know about them. I found myself marveling at how clever Bell is in imagining heroes and their powers. And I wish that I knew more about lots of them. Since this is a series, it's possible that will be happening.
February 9, 2013
Except for Wild Cards I usually avoid the fantasy sub-genre of super hero adventures. This title, which is aimed very much the young reader made me curious. It looked like the writer had a solid grip on the idea of a super hero in a small town and a middle school student obsessed with super heroes.
Nate Banks' obsession goes into overdrive when his hometown gets its own super hero. Eventually, a super villain pops up and she has to deal with him. The real thrust of the story though is Nate learning to deal with his obsession, and understanding that everyone can be a hero.
I found writer Jake Bell's page, and apparently the five book series failed to turn a profit, despite having been picked up by a major publisher. While he aimed for the young crowd there are a lot of Easter Eggs for older readers. Almost every city and municipal building mentioned is named after a current or former comic book creator. A nice touch is the small comic story that details Ultra Violet's origin. It is a stand alone story from the main tale, written by Bell and drawn by Image Comics artists Chris Giarrusso
Nate Banks' obsession goes into overdrive when his hometown gets its own super hero. Eventually, a super villain pops up and she has to deal with him. The real thrust of the story though is Nate learning to deal with his obsession, and understanding that everyone can be a hero.
I found writer Jake Bell's page, and apparently the five book series failed to turn a profit, despite having been picked up by a major publisher. While he aimed for the young crowd there are a lot of Easter Eggs for older readers. Almost every city and municipal building mentioned is named after a current or former comic book creator. A nice touch is the small comic story that details Ultra Violet's origin. It is a stand alone story from the main tale, written by Bell and drawn by Image Comics artists Chris Giarrusso
February 26, 2014
This superheroes that have job assignments in small town America are pretty interesting but Kanigher Falls did not have one of it's own.
Mr. Enigma, Mr. Miraculous, the damp use Phantom Ranger - who is the greatest, without superpowers. Then Commander Cavalier, Captain Zombie, Wildblaze. Our hero is a comic book fan and he knows and loves them all. His town is suddenly blessed with a Superhero called Ultraviolet and he is given the job of finding out her civilian identity.
There are a few mentions of famous American Historical events and people that are not covered in the Canadian social studies classrooms - if such things still exist but it doesn't hurt to know.
The language is pretty easy to read grade 4-6 and the hero is a middle school boy. It was interesting but a little hard to believe.
Mr. Enigma, Mr. Miraculous, the damp use Phantom Ranger - who is the greatest, without superpowers. Then Commander Cavalier, Captain Zombie, Wildblaze. Our hero is a comic book fan and he knows and loves them all. His town is suddenly blessed with a Superhero called Ultraviolet and he is given the job of finding out her civilian identity.
There are a few mentions of famous American Historical events and people that are not covered in the Canadian social studies classrooms - if such things still exist but it doesn't hurt to know.
The language is pretty easy to read grade 4-6 and the hero is a middle school boy. It was interesting but a little hard to believe.
January 4, 2016
Secret Identity Crisis by Jake Bell is a fun book about a boy named Nate that thinks his teacher is a superhero.
In the book, every town has a superhero and there's still many people that don't believe in them. Until the town where Nate lives gets its own superhero and is caught on camera. Nate thinks it's his history teacher. His science teacher gets jealous and becomes a villain, and that's when the hero and the villain start fighting. Nate's school ends up being destroyed.
I really liked this book because it had the story of a comic book but in an actual book. I recommend this book to people that like superheroes and a lot of destruction.
In the book, every town has a superhero and there's still many people that don't believe in them. Until the town where Nate lives gets its own superhero and is caught on camera. Nate thinks it's his history teacher. His science teacher gets jealous and becomes a villain, and that's when the hero and the villain start fighting. Nate's school ends up being destroyed.
I really liked this book because it had the story of a comic book but in an actual book. I recommend this book to people that like superheroes and a lot of destruction.
March 9, 2011
Finally, Nate's little hometown gets its own superhero, the mysterious Ultraviolet! Sixth-grader Nate is the town's biggest expert on comics and superheroes so discovering Ultraviolet's secret identity should be a breeze, especially when he suspects she is working at his school as a comics hating history teacher. First in a series, this is a fun, fast-paced adventure with likeable characters and a subtle, but really good moral sense. As the author’s dedication says: “There’s no such thing as “too smart”.”
March 17, 2012
I borrowed this from my daughter for research for an upcoming project. It was a cute, fun read. My daughter, whose opinion matters more than mine in this case, absolutely loves it. She would give it five stars; I'd give it three, so I averaged them for this review. If your child likes superheroes, they will probably like this book.
July 10, 2020
Nathan Banks is obsessed with superheroes. And sure enough, he finds himself in the middle of a superhero/supervillain tussle. The villain is a dullard, and there's nothing particularly interesting about Nathan or his friends. But the superhero has a pinch of angst-y charm.
June 27, 2010
I really really liked it .It was obvious who the bad guy is.I can't what for the 2nd book
July 21, 2012
Another Superhero book for Summer Reading Club.
And another cute one, suitable for boys or girls.
And another cute one, suitable for boys or girls.
November 8, 2013
If your kids like superheros, this is a great book to read with them!
September 19, 2016
The least likely suspect,his teacher,Sophie Matthews turns out to be Ultraviolet.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews