Destructo World (Superworld 2) by Yarrow and Carrie Cheney

What worked:

The setting is much different from the previous book as Destructo has totally changed the world in only a few weeks. While Noah’s parents have kept him in an underground, concrete bunker for protection, his school now teaches students to become villains, and everyone’s terrified of being associated with heroes. Noah sneaks out of the bunker and discovers his best friends’ faces are displayed on wanted posters. Destructo Rangers patrol the neighborhoods, and people are afraid to be seen in public. Any attempts to help others will result in arrest and the loss of their prime powers.

As in the first book, this one is loaded with zany humor. Noah is beaten up by the school bullies, and a Fixer repairs all of his broken bones. The Fixer doesn’t have much experience with humans, so he repeatedly makes mistakes, including putting Noah’s feet on backwards. Noah’s grandmother can change into any animal, and she appears as a dragon this time, teasing him about being a non-super. Noah and his friends escape Destructo Rangers when the villains argue and fight over who deserves the reward for capturing the Z Team. The team is later saved from Power-Changers by a gigantic, ferocious Daisy in “full-blossom-beast mode”. To top this all off, Noah is trying to save the world while avoiding being grounded by his overprotective parents.

Noah has more confidence than he had in the first book, and his friends perceive him as the Plan-Man. The supporting characters are the same as last time, but there are differences due to Destructo’s takeover. An intriguing character continues to be Noah's six-year-old sister Joy. She’s the only character with two superpowers; she can mentally move things and she can control the weather. She’s also a huge Destructo fan, and Noah is afraid she’ll eventually become a villain. However, Joy catches him sneaking around several times, but she doesn’t snitch to their parents. In fact, there are a couple of occasions when she helps him by creating diversions. She often has a smirky smile, so readers will wonder what she’s really thinking. She’s a puzzling enigma.

What didn’t work as well:

Once again, the strange humor probably won’t be appreciated by everyone. Misunderstandings and word play are frequently utilized, maybe too much.

The final verdict:

Readers will immediately be impressed by the beautiful illustrations on almost every page. I suggest you read Save Noah first to fully grasp the situation in the sequel. The blend of action, creativity, and humor will appeal to many middle-grade readers and I recommend you give this series a shot.