Hi! I'm Captain Superlative. I have another name, of course. It doesn't say that on my birth certificate. But what's the fun in being a superhero if you don't guard your super-secret identity with your life? Because, that's what I am, you see. A SUPER HERO!
Maybe you'd like to hear the story...
All good stories begin with an idea. Sometimes that idea is something HUGE. For example, someone came up with the idea of "What would the world be like if we all tried to be the same all the time?" And that idea led to a book called THE GIVER. The idea for my story was much, much smaller though. Really, it was pretty simple:
What if a student showed up to school dressed up like a superhero?
And with that, I was born!
Here's a secret. My story didn't begin as a book, you know. It actually started out as a play! That's right! The first time I came to life, it was on the stage! My story debuted as a little theatre in Waukegan, IL, called The Clockwise Theatre. It was loads of fun, having my story told by kids my age!
After the play, my story still wasn't finished. There were so many other scenes that needed to be played out. What was Paige's family like? Who was April? What was going through Janey's head when I invited her to be my sidekick? With so many questions, the best way to answer them was to become a book. But it's not easy to write a book, you know.
This J.S. Puller person did a good job starting the story. But here's something they never tell you in school: It's hard to write a book by yourself. No, really. You can get it started, of course. And go pretty far from beginning to end. But in order to write a book, to REALLY write a book, you need a group of people to help you.
J.S. Puller found a pretty great group of people at the Graham School Writer's Studio. Not only did they help good, old J.S. to figure out how the story would end, but they provided loads of advice on how to get an agent. And J.S. Puller found the best of all possible agents in Brianne Johnson, only a few months after the Writer's Stuiod class ended!
One month later, Disney Hyperion decided they wanted to share my story with the world!
On May 8, 2018, CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE was published! There was a whirlwind of excitement after the book came out. I even got to visit some schools!
Visiting the schools was loads of fun! I hope I get to do some more in the future. If you'd like me to zoom over to your school, you should definitely let the people at Disney Hyperion know. You can reach them here! Just look for that J.S. Puller person!
Some people have had some pretty nice things to say about me!
"Supreme. Sensational. Special. SUPERLATIVE! This beautiful debut novel will make you laugh and cry and want to be a better person."
Melissa de la Cruz, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Isle of the Lost.
"Puller's characters are young, human, flawed, and real, but they're also kind, hopeful, and strong. The world can be beautiful and ugly at the same time. Puller gives readers a call to action empowering them with the choice to do something positive, to be superlative. Just like any hero, this book is paramount. Potent. Persuasive. Powerful."
Bekah Burbank, LaughingPlace.com
"CAPTAIN SUPERLATIVE has a thoughtful plot with captivating characters."
Melissa Taylor, Imagination Soup
"I highly recommend this book for upper elementary and middle school readers. This would make a fantastic read-aloud for teachers and other professionals looking to inspire a culture of kindness. Be sure to have your tissues handy, though. This powerful, emotional story will tug at the hearts of readers."
Jayme Dieterle, Nerdy Book Club