Totally Toxic (Caped 6th Grader Series #2)

Children's Literature - Jamaica Johnson Conner

The novel in the series "The Caped Sixth Grader" follows the adventures of twelve-year-old Zoe Richards who shares an unusual secret with her Grandpa. Though she is often tempted to share that she is a superhero-in-training with those she loves, she cannot tell her politically active mother, her police officer father, her accident prone friend Howie, her best friend Emily, or her hopeful boyfriend Josh. When she is not getting into trouble with the Superhero Federation for using her powers to save her friends without proper authorization, she spends her time studying to pass her superhero test and going to school to preserve her social life. When her politically active mother believes that Mitchell Enterprises is dumping toxic materials into the Sweetbriar River, Zoe cannot resist investigating with her friends, Howie and Josh. Their investigations lead to several dangerous adventures and Zoe is forced to use her superpowers—at the risk of exposing her secret. The strong relationship between Zoe and her Grandpa (her "Super mentor"), the playful dialogue, the light-hearted character development ("I suppose all the superpowers in the world can't save a kid from being an out-and-out klutz every now and then."), and humorous situations contribute to an engaging plot.