Quick Take
- Narration: Matthew Cody reading his own sequel brings genuine enthusiasm for the material, and his pacing suits middle-grade listeners well.
- Themes: Identity vs. power, fear of becoming the villain, loyalty under pressure
- Mood: Propulsive, slightly darker than its predecessor, and emotionally honest
- Verdict: A middle-grade sequel that deepens the moral stakes of the first book without losing what made the original appealing.
The second book in a middle-grade adventure series has a specific challenge: it needs to deliver more of what worked in the first while also doing something genuinely new. Matthew Cody’s Super, the sequel to Powerless, manages that balance with more skill than I expected. I came to it with some skepticism, having seen plenty of middle-grade second books coast on their predecessor’s goodwill. Super earns its place in the series.
The premise picks up where Powerless left off. Daniel Corrigan is the ordinary kid among the Supers of Noble’s Green, kids with genuine abilities like flight and super-strength. In the first book, he was the one who saved his powered friends from a villain called the Shroud. Now, in the sequel, the dynamics have shifted uncomfortably: Daniel is beginning to develop powers of his own, while his friends are starting to lose theirs. And his emerging ability is uncomfortably close to the Shroud’s power-stealing ability. The question the book sits with is whether Daniel is becoming something new, or something dangerous.
Our Take on Super
What Cody does well with this premise is resist the easy reassurance. The central anxiety of the book, that a hero might be carrying the seeds of the villain they defeated, is handled with more psychological honesty than middle-grade fiction usually attempts. Daniel’s worry that he could be the Shroud’s new vessel is not resolved quickly or cheaply. The book makes him sit with that uncertainty, and by extension makes the reader sit with it too. A teacher reviewer noted that the series delivered a pleasant surprise with its satisfying ending and that this installment did not simply repeat the first book’s formula. That observation is accurate.
The supporting cast, the Supers themselves, remain engaging, though one reviewer noted that their character development does not deepen as much as it could. That is a fair critique. The book is primarily Daniel’s story, and the secondary characters function more as ensemble support than as fully realized individuals in their own right. For middle-grade readers, that trade-off is probably acceptable. For adult listeners accompanying younger readers, it may register more clearly.
Why Listen to Super
Matthew Cody narrates his own book, which gives the performance an infectious quality. He clearly enjoys these characters, and that enjoyment is audible throughout the seven hours and forty-seven minutes. The pacing is brisk without feeling rushed, and the action sequences are staged cleanly enough that they read well on audio. This is a format that often struggles with complex action, but Cody keeps the spatial relationships legible throughout.
One reviewer described listening to this alongside Powerless on a long drive and being unable to stop, which is a reliable middle-grade litmus test. The series has been popular in fifth-grade classrooms according to another reviewer, and the audiobook’s relatively compact runtime makes it manageable for younger listeners who are building attention span for longer fiction. The self-narrated format works particularly well here because Cody’s enthusiasm is genuine; you can hear that these are characters he has invested in, not just performed.
What to Watch For in Super
It is worth noting that this is book two of three. The story does not fully close at the end of Super; it opens further directions for the third book, Villainous. Listeners who want a complete arc may want to have the next title ready. The single piece of mild language noted by a reviewer is worth knowing about for parents listening with younger children, though it is by all accounts not a significant presence in the text.
Who Should Listen to Super
This is ideal for middle-grade listeners aged nine to twelve who have already heard or read Powerless, as well as parents and teachers looking for superhero fiction that takes identity questions seriously without becoming too dark for the age group. Skip it if you have not listened to the first book; the emotional stakes of the sequel depend on having spent time with these characters already.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to listen to Powerless before Super?
Yes. Super picks up directly from the events of Powerless, and the emotional core of the sequel depends on knowing Daniel’s history with the Shroud and the Supers of Noble’s Green.
Is Super appropriate for the same age group as Powerless?
Yes, roughly ages nine through twelve. The sequel is slightly darker in tone, dealing with Daniel’s fear that he is becoming a villain, but it remains firmly within middle-grade territory.
How does Matthew Cody perform as his own narrator?
Very well for this age category. His enthusiasm for the characters comes through clearly, and the pacing is well-suited to middle-grade listeners who are still building stamina for longer audio.
Does Super resolve the main conflict, or does it end on a cliffhanger?
It reaches a satisfying conclusion to the central mystery of Daniel’s emerging powers, but it also opens directions for the third book, Villainous. Reviewers have described the ending as satisfying rather than a frustrating cliffhanger.
