Spaghetti Book Club - Book Reviews by Kids for Kids

Melvin Beederman and the Case of the Bologna Sandwich written by Greg Trine and illustrated by Rhode Montijo is a hilarious book about a superhero named Melvin who is definitely not confident with his powers even though he graduated top of his class from Superhero Academy. After graduation he was assigned to go to Los Angeles. The citizens there needed a superhero. They haven’t had a superhero since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired. Even though Melvin is a superhero, he doesn’t fly well. “CRASH, SPLAT, THUD, KABONK!” He was finally up in the air on his fifth try. After 6 hours of flying on his way to Los Angeles, he stopped on the wing of a plane to rest. When he arrived in Los Angeles he found a hideout, an ugly treehouse far away from the city and sat down on the sofa with his favorite snack, pretzels and root beer. Later on, he heard a cry for help, “HELP!” There was a thief trying to rob a store. He zoomed in and saved the day. Melvin held him by the collar until the cops arrived. Meanwhile, Candace, an elementary school student in New York, was having a school play, and she was Little Red Riding Hood. She was at home getting ready and realized that her cape was too big. The next day at school she had a basketball game with the boys and beat them 500 to 0 with all dunks. Back in Los Angeles, Melvin heard another cry for help someone said that their baby was put inside a monster truck arena. Melvin dived in and saved the baby, but he got dirt all over his cape. He brought it to the cleaners. The man said that it would take three days for his cape to get clean. When he gets it back, it was too small. It looked small enough to fit an elementary school student in New York. He tried to fly with his small cape but it resulted in more crashing. A few days later he chased a robber, but he was too slow to get him. Candace heard on the news that Melvin wasn’t helping the city anymore. So she decided to go out there and help him. Suddenly Candace zoomed in and saved the day. Read the rest of the book to find out what happens next!

Melvin Beederman and the Case of the Bologna Sandwich is an excellent book that’s not too long and not too short. My favorite part was when Melvin was chasing a robber without his superpowers. Suddenly Candace zoomed in and picked the robber up from his collar and dropped him on the sidewalk. Melvin realized he could use an assistant and cut the cape into two pieces. From that moment on, Candace and Melvin were teammates. I think the illustrations are terrific because the expressions on peoples’ faces show how they are feeling. For example when Melvin had to face his weakness, the picture shows him on the floor, one hand on his chest, and one hand reaching for help. He was weezing and panicking. It looked like he was having a heart attack. I also like how Greg Trine explains the events in funny ways. For example in the story it said, “While Superhero Melvin was busy losing his superpowers, Candace Brinkwater is getting ready for her school play.” This made me laugh because he was trying to get off the ground and on his fifth try, “KABAAM!” and on his eighty-fifth try, “SLAM!” All the while Candace was just getting ready for her school play. Those are just a few of the reasons why I loved this book.

I would recommend this book to good readers who enjoy books about superheroes and how friendships develop. I think that this type of reader would enjoy this book because the two main characters are unlikely superheroes that develop a relationship and become friends. When the McNasty Brothers captured Candace with a bologna sandwich, her weakness, Melvin got up in the air on his FIRST try and flew off to save her. I would give this book five out of five stars. Go out and get it!