Powerless by Matthew Cody

This book was recommended by one of my students, and I gave it a rating of four out of five. Daniel moves to a new town and discovers that he is the only member of his group of friends without a super power. However, his twelve-year-old friends know that they will lose their powers and memories when they turn thirteen. Daniel is a Sherlock Holmes fan and sets out to uncover this mystery. He discovers that some comic books actually tell the history of the super children and that the author illustrator lives in town. The author shares some helpful information, but it may lead them to their doom. The Shroud continues to lurk and suck away the super powers, and a showdown in the climax is inevitable.

The plot read like a comic book, not with the pictures but in the style. Daniel was the only character without powers, so it seemed obvious that he'd be the one to make everything right. The interaction of the characters was entertaining, and the author provided some twists to the plot that kept me guessing. It was a fun book to read.