How to Save a Superhero

After her beloved grandmother dies, map-making fifth grader Adelaide “Addie” Munroe and her capricious single mother Tish, who are cued white, leave Granny Lu’s house in Mount Repose, Maine, to move in with Nice Uncle Tim and his family in Pennsylvania. Now at her 11th school due to frequent moving, Addie spends most of her time at Happy Valley Village Retirement Community, where Tish has a monthlong probationary period as a new companion. Soon, Addie meets mysterious, grumpy Mr. Norris, a new resident with remarkable skills: he allegedly swims like a “hurricane,” can easily lift hundred-pound weights, and emits coughs strong enough to blow people off their feet. Addie and her two new friends—WWE-obsessed, seemingly white Dickson and cheerful recent Iraqi emigrant Marwa, whose mothers also work at Happy Valley—wonder whether Mr. Norris is a superhero. Trying to find out the truth, especially after an overly friendly journalist starts asking questions about him, leads to trouble, wild escapades, and a thrilling climax. Featuring a cast whose distinct personalities are clearly built out, Freeman’s imaginative, suspenseful, and well-paced novel of intergenerational friendship will keep readers guessing. Ages 8–12. (Oct.)