Review: Slugboy Saves the World

Slugboy Saves the World is a fantastically fun-filled treat of a book which I absolutely loved, giggling my way throughout this action-packed comic-style hilarious adventure – with heart!  The narrator of the story is brilliant – someone who definitely kept me entertained with witty, sharp comments throughout!

Murdo McLeod is not your typical superhero!  His superpowers have come through the unfortunate circumstance of swallowing a radioactive slug so, needless to say, he has not been blessed with the most powerful of superhero traits, but his powers are rather unique:  he has the ability to climb up walls – very slowly (this still makes me giggle every time I read it!), and emit slime! 

Poor Murdo desperately wants to be a superhero who is helpful, and will be taken seriously by the Adventure Squad of superheroes but, unfortunately, his superpowers are more of a hindrance than a help when fighting off villains which leads to much hilarity and misunderstanding.

However, Murdo is incredibly likeable and ever an optimist, so I always found myself rooting for him, and willing him to fight off the villains successfully as he scours the streets of Dundee and Edinburgh, looking to defend the Scottish Nation from some very nasty villains – and prove himself as a worthy superhero!  I love the fact that he never gives up, even when the odds are against him … and they are often so against him!

Whilst Murdo is on a trip to Loch Ness that does not turn out as planned, he makes a discovery … a discovery that may well save the world from a supervillain when only Slugboy is on call:  will he at last be able to use his superpowers to good effect and prove himself a worthy superhero?

Slugboy Saves the World will appeal to young fans of comics and superheroes.  There is so much they will enjoy including the humour; the fast-paced action; the Bottom Trumps cards which are interspersed throughout the story and the wide range of fonts to break up the text.  Above all though, I think they will just love Murdo, aka Slugboy and enjoy following him as he heads from one disaster to another …

I know lots of children in my class who will adore this, and I’m sure it will not last long in my class library before it is snatched up for laugh-out-loud reading pleasure.

Thank you to the author, Mark A Smith, for sending me a copy in return for my honest opinion.