History of children's literature:
Books have come a long way since before the 1400’s, when literature was not written for children. If there was literature written for children, it was used to “indoctrinate” information and usually written in adult style.
During the 1600s, "Chapbooks" that offered story lines like Robin Hood and King Arthur’s adventures were not commonly accepted, so they were created “undercover” and read secretly.
Literature for children only began to offer quality literature, including non-fiction literature, for all ages in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Now in the 21st century, an emphasis has been placed on writing and providing books that contain quality elements of literature. Books that are enjoyable for children to read, but also help explore new worlds, think critically, and develop their self identity are more commonly used now for schools in all subject areas.
Review & Analysis:
"Superhuman" by Michael Carroll is an example of quality literature in the fantasy genre that is written for both female and male adolescents, ages 12 - 18. The overall themes are that kids can make a difference and that boys and girls are equally capable of achieving the same goals. There are not many books in the fiction genre written to appeal to girls, but I believe girls would find this book interesting to read.
"Superhuman" is the fourth novel in the Quantum Prophecy series. Although it is the fourth book in the series, it is actually a prequel to the first three, which allows readers who have not read the first three books in the series to jump in, meet the characters, and get some background information.
The main characters in "Superhuman" are teenagers, some have powers while others don't. They work together to discover the secrets behind the plague that has only been affecting anyone over nineteen, and fight against a secret organization attempting to bring back the Fifth King, an ancient and immortal warlord who was known as the first supervillain.
"Superhuman" has many core elements of a quality book:
Style - the way a writer manipulates the language - word choice, syntax
Character Development - The characters are realistic because even the superheroes have weaknesses and make mistakes. Michael Carroll's characters are diverse and come from a wide variety of backgrounds; Black, Hispanic, poor and rich kids, male and female, etc
Plot - Has high action conflict, and resolves a main question that is asked by the superheroes. Ironically, it now even has a contemporary tie to the recent pandemic, giving readers a strong connection to the story. One of the conflicts in the story is a highly contagious global viral epidemic that affects adults that they need to develop a vaccine to irradiate.
Superheroes:
Main Teenage Superheroes:
Roz: Telekinesis
Abby: Super strength and super speed
Thunder: Manipulates sound waves
Lance: Does not have any special powers
Villains:
Krodin: The main antagonist who was an ancient warlord during ancient times and considered the first supervillain.
The Helotry: Followers of Krodin seeking to bring him back
Slaughter: Super strength, flight, near invulnerability, advanced combat abilities