Norma Howe. The Adventures of Blue Avenger. Harper Teen, 2000 (reprint). ISBN 978-0064472258 299 pp. $

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A boy who becomes the superhero character he invented is actually treated as one in his very forgiving high school. Blue saves the student newspaper, invents a perfect weepless meringue pie, and lands the girl of his dreams in this silly-yet-sophisticated novel about free will.

In spite of the charm, humor, and willingness to discuss issues, I couldn’t suspend my disbelief to believe that a teen who attends school with a towel tied around his neck wouldn’t be harassed to tears by peers, but older students who enjoy books like The View from Saturday or Holes (that are dappled with interesting factoids that seem insignificant but reappear in the ending) will love this book.