Super Zero: Zinc Alloy

by Donald Lemke, Douglas Holgate (Illustrator)

Overview

Zack Allen loves comic books, but he's nothing like his favorite superheroes. He's always getting picked on by bullies at school. Then one day, Zack builds a high-tech robot suit. Now he must decide how to use his newfound powers. He has become Zinc Alloy, the world's newest superhero!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781434208583
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Series:	Zinc Alloy Series
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Douglas Holgate is a freelance illustrator from Melbourne, Australia. His work has been published all around the world by Random House, Simon and Schuster, the "New Yorker" magazine, and Image Comics. His award-winning comic "Laika" appears in the acclaimed comic collection "Flight, Volume Two".

Donald Lemke works as a children’s book editor and writer. He has written dozens of books for young readers—from board books to middle-grade novels—that often include today’s most popular characters, such as Batman, Superman, Scooby-Doo, and more. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his beloved family, which includes his wife, Amy, and their three growing-up-way-too-fast daughters.

Editorial Reviews

This colorful graphic story tells a predictable tale of the science student, who is bullied by his peers and loves comic books with superheroes. He builds himself a robotic suit that gives him numerous superpowers. The super robot stops a runaway train and scares the bullies into leaving his nerdy alter-ego alone. Cartoon style drawings enhance the text and help move the action along. Special features include a glossary, a history of comics, three discussion questions, three writing prompts, and the publisher’s web site with graphic adventures, a web history of comics’ timeline with a text that will be beyond the reading level of students who read this title, and a NASA robotics web site. This book will appeal especially to boys, and can be used as high interest low vocabulary material with students who have reading problems. I tried this with a small group of seventh grade boys who had various reading problems and received a favorable response from the group. Recommended.

Library Media Connection

This action-packed comic-reader will entice even the most reluctant reader. Any child who’s ever been the victim of a “wet willy” or a “nuggy” will cheer out loud.

San Diego Unified School District

Well, I just discovered a whole new boy-friendly series courtesy of my 8 year-old son, Dave, who brought home two new Zinc Alloy books from his school's library. He raved and cooed about them, informing me that this was a new series being read 'by all the guys'. (And yes, some of the guys are girls.) Since the books are short — containing under 800 words — I was able to read both of them in a few minutes, and I pretty much liked what I found. [Note though that the reviewer for the School Library Journal thought they were 'bland', and that may well be for us adults, but sometimes we just need to listen to the kids, and if these books help children to love to read, well then, I'm going to pass on the good word.] In general the books seem to offer low levels of 'exciting adventure' and some fantasies of empowerment that I think youngsters can identify with. And unlike the popular Captain Underpants series, the Zinc Alloy series is written at a simpler level— which I like since there isn't nearly enough books out there for book-lovin' little guys. Both books I read were in the low 2's. There is, however, one book in the series though that is at the 2.4 level. I think they'd be great for all those 5 year-olds that read above level. And even for guys like my Dave, who can read at a much higher level, but who still enjoys some fun and silliness. [Note, Captain Underpants is at the AR 4 level.] Revealed! (Zinc Alloy) by Donald Lemke Douglas Holgate (Illus.) Description: When Zack Allen reveals his secret superhero identity, his life changes and he's the coolest kid at school and the world's greatest athlete, but can he compete without the Zinc Alloy suit? * Paperback: 40 pages * Publisher: Stone Arch Books * ISBN-10: 1434208591 * amazon Word Count: 763 Reading Level: 2.0 Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.0 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 123901 Lexile: GN290L Coldfinger (Zinc Alloy) by Donald Lemke Douglas Holgate (Illus.) Description: While on a winter vacation with his family, Zack must stop a plot by Dr. Icee to freeze Metro City with a giant freezer ray and overcome his fear of sports after a bully challenges him to a ski competition. * Paperback: 40 pages * Publisher: Stone Arch Books (January 1, 2010) * ISBN-10: 1434223140 * amazon Word Count: 665 Reading Level: 2.1 Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.1 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 130909 Lexile: GN360L Super Zero by Donald Lemke Douglas Holgate (Illus.) Description: Zack is always getting picked on by bullies, but then one day, he builds a high-tech robot suit and must decide how to use his powers. * Paperback: 40 pages * Publisher: Stone Arch Books * ISBN-10: 1434208583 * amazon Word Count: 829 Reading Level: 2.4 Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.4 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 123903 Lexile: GN380L Zinc Alloy vs Frankenstein by Donald Lemke Douglas Holgate (Illus.) Description: When Zinc Alloy is chased by an angry mob out of Metro City he hides in an old house on the edge of town, but inside the house he faces his most frightening challenge yet, robo Frankenstein. * Paperback: 40 pages * Publisher: Stone Arch Books (January 1, 2010) * ISBN-10: 1434213919 * amazon Word Count: 860 Reading Level: 2.1 Accelerated Reader: reading level: 2.1 / points: 0.5 / quiz: 127553 Lexile: GN410L http://www.booksforkids-reviews.com/2011/01/books-boys-love-zinc-alloy-by-donald-b.html

Good Books for Kids

Gr 1-4

This bland graphic novel takes a young nerd and makes him into the stumbling yet indestructible Zinc Alloy. Zack Allen is tormented by bullies-until he uses a comic book to construct a robot suit of copper and zinc. Despite being slammed into a tunnel, the boy wonder saves a speeding train and then returns to face the bullies. Children will cheer for Zack when he faces down his schoolyard adversaries but will not be chuckling along during his adventures. The prose is stilted and the jokes are clichéd. However, the art moves the story energetically along. There are better "zero to hero" stories, such as Frank Cammuso's Knights of the Lunch Table (Scholastic, 2008).-Carrie Rogers-Whitehead, Kearns Library, UT

School Library Journal