Pugnapped! Commander Universe Saves the Day (Sort Of)

The “very first issue of Captain Fantastic” has arrived at the local comic shop, and superfan fourth-grader Stevie Blunt, who has brown hair and light skin, needs it. The problem: Stevie doesn’t have $75, and the shopkeeper will only hold it until Monday, when Stevie’s blond archenemy Chaz Pharsight will buy it. Decked out in full superhero gear complete with “super-heroic hair” and a marker mask, Stevie (aka Commander Universe) quickly agrees to dog-sit for Miss Boyle, “the prettiest lady in [the] whole town,” who “zips around the neighborhood on a candy-apple-red hovercraft.” Soon, though, Cupcake goes missing, and Commander Universe; his Latinx friend Rudy, known as X; and East Asian neighbor Abi Chan must find the precious pug in a town of villains before Miss Boyle returns. Interweaving comics-style scenes throughout, Kelley’s middle grade debut keeps the laughs rolling in this imaginative encouragement for the next generation of caped crusaders. Ages 7–10. (Oct.)