Dean PitchfordCritiques

Musical

4th grader Newt Newman is practically invisible until his friends help him come up with a Halloween costume that gives him a lasting alter ego: Captain Nobody. A far-fetched premise, but it's a cute story about a boy who comes into his own by puting on a mask and demanding a little respect. Best for kids who like sueprheroes or little people standing up for themselves.

Note: I've gotten this e-ARC from Edelweiss in return for my honest review.

Lyrics have been changed for the younger audience befitting the zoo theme but I can still sing along to the original tune lol! Loved the illustrations too, so cute with catch colours and drawings!

You can read my review here:
http://www.sholee.net/2016/07/mpov-footloose-e-arc.html

A big city kid in a small conservative town just wants to dance.

2.5/4 (Okay).

It's got some serious rough patches, especially in the beginning. Twenty minutes in I was just about ready to walk away. Then it started to get kind of weird and caught my attention. And then they started to have genuine conversations, and to develop the character I expected to be a villain.

Fun show, that sometimes takes itself a little too seriously.

Eleven-year-old Sam Brattle is going through tough times. His mom just remarried and his dad owns a bakery that is going through tough times. His town, Nickel Bay, is very economically depressed. Sam gets in with the wrong crowd and they do a lot of mischief. Eventually Sam gets caught not by the police but by Mr. Wells. Sam caused a lot of damage when doing his mischievous deeds, but Mr. Wells makes him deal. Nickel Bay Nick, who is the mysterious man who leaves hundred-dollar bills all around town for the citizens of the town to find. Unfortunately, this year Nickel Bay Nick did not appear and leave his kind gift around town. Sam makes a deal with Mr. Wells, and he is going to be this year’s version of Nickel Bay Nick between Christmas and January 6. The first couple of chapter of this book were hard to read. Sam was a very unlikeable character and reading the story as told by him was not pleasant at first. As the story goes on, Sam does become better and so does the story. The town of Nickel Bat reminded me a lot of my hometown, Butte, Montana. The town is very depressed and has seen its better days. The own also has several businesses and shops that are vacant and out of business, much like Butte. This book would be a good book about persevering and overcoming hard times. The boos I believe is very relatable to students in my hometown with the town being much the same.

Using his hit 80s song Footloose as a starting point, singer Kenny Loggins rewrites his popular tune for children in this picture-book, setting his tale in a zoo at night, as the animal residents boogie down. His text is accompanied by colorful artwork from illustrator Tim Bowers, depicting the various animals in their zany nighttime gyrations, while a CD with Loggins performing the new version of the song is also included.

I had a fairly lukewarm reaction to Footloose, but I upped my initial rating (two stars) in acknowledgement of the fact that I'm probably just not the right audience for it. I've never seen the movie Footloose (hard to believe, in a child of the 1980s!), nor am I a particular fan of the original song, although I am familiar with it. That said, I would imagine that some children will enjoy this story/song in its own right, and will appreciate the madcap animal antics. I didn't have a chance to listen to the accompanying CD, so that may have affected my reaction as well. Recommended to parents who are Kenny Loggins fans, and are looking to introduce their children to his work.

Growing up in the 80's, I was a huge fan of Footloose. I have watched it countless times, made my kids watch it and can quote most of the movie. When I heard Kenny Loggins was putting out a children's book based on the song, I knew I had to get it.

The zoo is getting ready to close up for the day. There is a full moon which means the animals are planning some fun at the zoo after it closes. The animals watch to make sure everyone is gone and then they begin to let loose. Your child may notice two children peeking between the bushes who didn't leave like they should have. They are treated to quite the show during the animals dance party.

Kenny Loggins uses his and Dean Pitchford's well-known lyrics and changes them up a bit to fit the animals at the zoo. Kids will love the silly antics of the animals and parents won't be able to resist singing the words to the tune of "Footloose". Also on each page, you can help your child find the boy and girl hiding and watching all the fun. Eventually, the two children won't be able to resist and will join the dance party as well.

You can't help but be happy while reading this book. Between the lyrics and the awesome illustrations, this book is sure to put anyone reading it into a great mood. You may not want to read this one at bedtime though as it will make you want to get up and dance. I love all the creative ways Loggins used to make his lyrics rhyme with the different animals. He wrote this to celebrate the love of his song with his new granddaughter. I'm sure it has been a joy for him to share this fun book with her! There is also a CD that comes with the book featuring this version of the "Footloose" song and "Monkeytown Medley".

Newt Newman is a nobody. No one seems to know he exists other than his friends JJ and Cecil, and his family. But even his family knows that his big brother Chris, the local football hero, is the real somebody in the family. But then Chris is knocked into a coma at the end of the big football game, and Newt adopts his Halloween costume as a new persona... Captain Nobody, defender of the helpless. He quickly becomes an accidental hero several times over while wearing his homemade costume, and is eventually called on to do something heroic, and terrifying, intentionally.
In spite of having a brother in a coma, Captain Nobody is a light-hearted and humorous book. Nothing very deep; just a fun read.

A sweet, sad story about Sam Brattle as he struggles to cope with growing up. Sam battles with his father and has a distant mother who has recently remarried and has a new family now. Sam turns more and more toward a life of crime and rebellion, until one night as he runs from the police, he winds up at his mysterious neighbors house causing chaos and major damage. In order to work off the debt of the damages he caused, he is forced into restitution over Christmas break. It turns out to be more than Sam bargained for, and in exchange, Sam learns that things are not always as they seem. I loved this book! Very reminiscent to me of Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now, and Louis Sachar's Holes; stories of boys teetering on the edge of making a choice in life from which there is no turning back.

A great story about a boy who is trying to figure out who he is in the world. Newt has always felt like he's been in his big brothers shadow until one Friday night when his brother gets hurt at his football game. After innocently dressing up in his brothers clothing for Halloween, Newt discovers that his new character Captain Nobody might just be the thing he needs to finally be noticed. Mrs. B.

Fun realistic fiction story about the overlooked Newt. He idolizes his brother even though it seems like sometimes he is invincible, even in his own family. Newt has also been overlooked until he decides to become "Captain Nobody" for Halloween. Through this costume, Newt feels confident and worthy. His journey to find himself, as well as helping others, especially his brother, Chris, who ended up in a coma is a fun read.

Nice story if not realistic. Will find an audience with many kids who lack confidence or feel left out.

10-year-old Newt Newman is used to fading into the background. His parents are workaholics; his brother Chris is the star football player at the local high school; and he and his best friends JJ and Cecil are ignored by the other kids at school. The three of them are determined to get noticed this Halloween, and they are putting a lot of thought into original costumes. But the night of the Big Game, Chris takes a hit during the final play and is knocked into a coma. Suddenly, Mr. and Mrs. Newman, never overly attentive toward Newt, are camped out at the hospital. Worried about his brother, the last thing Newt wants to do is create a costume or go trick-or-treating. JJ and Cecil, seeing him in some of Chris’s outgrown clothes, realize the outfit has potential, and quickly transform him into a new superhero: Captain Nobody! Strangely, the longer Newt wears the costume, the less he feels like the old Newt. Enjoying the newfound confidence he experiences behind his mask, he continues to wear the costume beyond Halloween. Opportunities start cropping up for Newt to save the day: whether helping a confused old man find his way home or stopping a jewelry store robbery, Captain Nobody gets the job done. But when it comes to his brother’s coma, even Captain Nobody is powerless… or is he? Newt is a likeable character, albeit quite mature for ten. Secondary characters are somewhat stereotypical, but they don’t get in the way of the story’s fast pace and charm. Pitchford’s screenwriting background is apparent: the book reads like the summer’s feel-good movie. Kids who have longed for their own superhero powers will eat this up.

February 2011 selection.

Newt, aka Captain Nobody, is used to being Chris Newton's little brother. Chris is the star of the football team, a great kid, and the favorite of the town. When Chris is knocked into a coma after a football game, Newt's entire frame of reference for life is gone and he is lost...until Halloween when he becomes Captain Nobody. Pretty soon the only way Newt can handle school and life is as Captain Nobody - who does extraordinary ordinary things, but can't seem to save his brother.

This was a cute story about accepting who you are and the importance of family. Although you felt a little uncomfortable for Newt as his superhero phase lingered, you were still rooting for him and his family the whole book.

When ten-year-old Newton dresses up as an unusual superhero for Halloween, he decides to keep wearing the costume after the holiday to help save townspeople and eventually his injured brother.½

Meet the Newmans; two over worked parents, Chris- a high school senior, super star football brother and Newt -a skinny fourth grader at Appleton elementary school. It's Halloween week and the week of the big game, Chris' last game of the season. With everyone else so busy Newt makes it his mission each morning to cook breakfast and wakes up his brother each morning with the refrain "Hit the showers". The unthinkable happens , Chris is injured and Newt saw all. With Chris in the hospital Newt focuses on his Halloween costume to get his mind off the accident and Captain Nobody is born! Captain Nobody, defender of the Little Guy takes on a life of its own as Newt starts wearning his costume to school. A serious of misadventures start to occur and a most unlikely hero emerges. Touching, funny a great read

Personal Response:
I enjoyed reading this story, which is filled with humorous narration and daring exploits. I appreciated that Newt is mostly unseen by others, even when he is Captain Nobody, until he confronts the facts in his brother's accident by rescuing his supposed adversary. Newt ends up being the key to snapping his brother out of a coma, bringing a happy ending to a scary situation for a boy to deal with.

Curricular Connection:
This story can be used to spark a child's imagination on creating their own superhero and to help a child see outside of themselves to understand what they can (realistically) do to make the world a better place.

This book is also great for a discussion on blaming others and the reactions we have to people we assume have wronged us. Tolerance and understanding are also themes to be discussed.

Newt Newman is not your average fourth grader. He is the superhero of Appleton. Newts older brother is a football star and Newt looks up to him. The talk around school is about the upcoming football game and Halloween. As Newt and his friends sit talking, people step over them as if they are not even there. It is then that Newt's friends decide they need to dress up as one of Newt's superhero characters that he draws. Unfortunately Newt can't see himself as any of them. The night of the big game Newt is crowded out of his seat and then loses his ticket. He is forced to stand outside and watch through the fence. He watches his brother make the best touchdown of the night. Unfortunately his brother doesn't get up off of the ground. His parents who seem unable to function without Newt's help are so focused on their son Chris that they overlook Newt's needs. On Halloween he decides he is not going when his friends show up. He tumbles down the stairs in clothes that had belonged to his brother. His friends decide he is going and so they help him create his costume. When someone asks him who he is he doesn't answer. They ask about the initials on his suit and that is when he becomes Captain Nobody. Newt wears the costume to school the next day because his mother washed the clothes but didn't dry them. He feels a confidence he has never felt before. By doing several good deeds, and helping out friends, he finds himself in the news. One final event that only Captain Nobody can solve lands him in the hospital with the admiration of his family and friends. This was a fun book to read. As fun as it was you could feel his emotional turmoil. This is a book that I would definitely recommend

Newt Newman is practically invisible. His older brother Chris is a high school football superstar, but even their parents don't seem to notice Newt most of the time. When Chris is injured in a game, Newt feels more invisible than ever until he creates a Captain Nobody costume and discovers that he has what it takes to be noticed.

I really liked the tone of this book. It's funny without being silly and serious without being depressing. Younger, overlooked siblings will definitely relate.

Read my full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/12/book-review-captain-nobody.html½

Dean Pitchford has already enjoyed the kind of success about which most people can only dream. He’s been a Broadway star, a hugely successful songwriter, and has been nominated for four Grammys, two Tonys and four Academy Awards, winning Best Original Song for “Fame.” Now, with the release of his new Young Adult title, The Big One-Oh, Pitchford can also call himself a novelist.

When Charley Maplewood realizes that he’s had the last of his single-digit birthdays and that “the big one-oh” is staring him in the face, he knows that he has to do something special to mark the occasion. Unfortunately for Charley, there are a few things standing in the way of his plans to throw the mother of all parties for himself and his friends. For one thing he has no friends. For another, he is still haunted by his memories of how he single-handedly destroyed the last birthday party he attended when the sleepy pony he was riding suddenly decided that it preferred the role of out-of-control race horse to that of party pony.

The Big One-Oh is filled with characters that most of us will recognize from our own elementary school days: the class bully and his weaker sidekick, the already-most-popular girls who will remain most popular all the way through high school, the class geek, the class politician, and the rest of the herd. Charley deals with all of them as he arranges his party and, although he didn’t plan it quite that way, they all show up on the big day.

The Big One-Oh will have its young readers laughing out loud as Charley bonds with the strange man next door whom his mother forbids him to see, almost burns down his garage, and watches in shock as police cars and ambulances show up during the best part of his party. Charley Maplewood had the kind of tenth-birthday party that most boys wish for themselves. Luckily for their parents, they don’t usually get their wish. So, parents, hand them a copy of The Big One-Oh, instead, and let them think “what if.”

When teenager Ren and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small town in the West, he's in for a real case of culture shock after discovering he's living in a place where music and dancing are illegal.
(source: TMDb)