Ivy was thoroughly captivated by *Cape*, a thrilling blend of history, superheroes, and puzzle-solving set during World War II that kept her on the edge of her seat with twists around every corner. She awarded it a perfect 5 out of 5, praising how Kate Hannigan weaves together written chapters and comic book panels to tell the story of three remarkable girls who discover superpowers and must save Philadelphia from a shape-shifting villain. Ivy highly recommends it for anyone who loves historical fiction, puzzles, and superhero adventures!
Ivy's Review
Cape by Kate Hannigan follows Josephine O'Malley and her new friends Akiko Nakano, "the mouth breather" and Mae Eugenia Crumpler, "the curtsy dropper," all of which are incredible puzzle solvers.They become friends after failing their puzzler exam; the instructor, Hank Hissler, didn't even look at them before trashing them. Later, after seeing one of the superheroes that have gone missing, get vaporized, they discover that they have superpowers too. Together, with the help of Mrs. B and the dog Astra, Josie, Akiko, and Mae help save Philadelphia from a shape-shifting supervillain who is one of Hitler's henchmen. This book takes place in the time of World War II, and is inspired, along with the rest of the series, by real, remarkable women. Cape is mostly written, but some chapters are in comic book form as the unnamed superhero trio love comics, especially about superheroes. This book combines history with fantasy and superheroes, creating a book and a series that is one of my favorites.
This book got a 5 out of 5 because I really liked it. This interesting book, with twists around every corner, really captured my attention and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The only thing I wish is that it alternated between written and comic form. I wish that every other chapter was comic and all the others were written, but only a few chapters, three or four, were in a comic form.
If you like puzzle solving, historical fiction, and superheroes, you'll love this book. I know I certainly did!
About This Book
“Readers…will be enamored by this blend of history, mystery, and superpowered action.” —Booklist (starred review) “Has the exciting pace of a superhero adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews Hidden Figures meets Wonder Woman in this action-packed, comic-inspired adventure about a brilliant girl puzzler who discovers she’s part of a superhero team—the first in a new series! Josie O’Malley does a lot to help out Mam after her father goes off to fight the Nazis, but she wishes she could do more—like all those caped heroes who now seem to have disappeared. If Josie can’t fly and control weather like her idol, Zenobia, maybe she can put her math smarts to use cracking puzzles for the government. After an official tosses out her puzzler test because she’s a girl, it soon becomes clear that an even more top-secret agency has its eye on Josie, along with two other applicants: Akiko and Mae. The trio bonds over their shared love of female superhero celebrities, from Hauntima to Zenobia to Hopscotch. But during one extraordinary afternoon, they find themselves transformed into the newest (and youngest!) superheroes in town. As the girls’ abilities slowly begin to emerge, they learn that their skills will be crucial in thwarting a shapeshifting henchman of Hitler, and, just maybe, in solving an even larger mystery about the superheroes who’ve recently gone missing. Inspired by remarkable real-life women from World War II—the human computers and earliest programmers called “the ENIAC Six”—this pulse-pounding adventure features bold action and brave thinking, with forty-eight pages of comic book style graphic panels throughout the book. Readers will want to don their own capes for an adventure, and realize they have the power to be a superhero, too!