Hidden Talents

I read this book when I was younger and it is still one of my favorites, to the point I still remember the author’s name. It’s kind of low reading level wise but the concept is strong and overall good quality. I was so excited when the sequel came out. If you like superpowered characters that don’t fight crime but are human this is a great book. Main characters are probably around middle school age if I remember correctly.

Of course a dog eared favorite of mine from childhood is published by Tor. Everything that speaks to my neurodivergent, bisexual sci fi nerd soul is from Tor. One of my favorite genres is “superpowers masquerading as neurodivergence” and this book is just such a great example of that. Full disclosure: I read this book as a cranky, mouthy teen with adhd and a big issue with authority. I then grew up to be a lawyer for children in foster care…a lot of whom go to alternative schools and are also neurodivergent with authority issues. The science teacher def feels like the authors self insertion character — and honestly the only teacher who feels too idealized to me. He’s very Mr Holland—and I feel like there needed to be at least one scene where he’s not making the saintly, well-regulated and trained choice. I love the diversity of this (though honestly, I think it would make more sense to have a Latino presence in the book, given the demographics of kids labeled as “troubled.”) as an adult, the whole thing feels like a veiled criticism of the educational system as a whole and how we deal with “different” children. The portrayal of trauma as a source of empathy and also self destruction is super powerful, esp. with Martin. I also think it’s really telling that the two obviously non white characters—Flinch and Cheater—react the most strongly to being told they have powers. I am so excited this book has a sequel!!

I mostly know Lubar from his collections of campfire stories and middle school"horror" stories. I like them because I think they are more creative and better written than the general run of Goosebumps-type tales. But, I didn't know what to expect from this outing. Well, Lubar maintains his standing as a better than average writer, with plots, phrasing, dialogue and scene setting of a much higher caliber than is usually encountered. There are still psycho bullies and clueless adults, but I don't know if anyone can avoid those staples of youth lit. The most surprising aspect of the book, though, is the unusually high level of character development invested in not only our hero Martin, but also in each of the supporting characters. The result is that you get a good story with dramatic tension, some fairly memorable characters, and some interesting food for thought about how we perceive and type people. I can see why this has become a very popular class discussion novel. The ideas are manageable but sophisticated, and would encourage thoughtful middle grade readers to learn how to gain insight from fiction reading. What more could we ask for?

I spent many hours reading this book over and over again. There's just something about a book that takes a look at those the system has given up on and shows their humanity with the aid of many instances of superhumanity. Don't you sometimes feel trapped and wish you could be a superhero? It's totally relatable with unforgettable characters. This was my favorite book through middle school and I still love it ten years later.

I read this book when I was in middle school. It definitely sparked my love for reading and I shared it with friends who also fell in love with it. Now I've purchased it for my own daughter to read.

While David Lubar's writing style is different, it has that familiar rythmic pattern of real life magic and coming of age. It's one of my favorite middle school age books.

I picked up this book off an online recommendation from the maximum ride series. (My favorite book series ever) and this did not fail to live up to what I thought it would be my only regret is I couldnt read more lol it's a really good book

This book I read years ago and had faint memories of the story. This was a major plus because I got the chance to enjoy it again for the first time. Highly recommend the sequel.