As a substitute for the superpowers he wishes he had, klutzy second-grader Harry Cruz cobbles together homemade inventions that, sometimes, actually work. In one of four independent episodes, his "superhero flashlight belt" proves handy for spotting stolen items that a classroom bully has hidden; in another, he uses a wrist-mounted hook-and-line shooter to return a little monkey he accidentally took from its zoo habitat. In a third, he builds a robot that runs amok, and learns that, when it comes to being a "superhero in your everyday life," a cape and rocket-blaster boots are no substitutes for being kind and helpful to others. The cartoonishly exaggerated postures and expressions May forces onto his refreshingly diverse cast of characters in the color illustrations often seem overdone, but they do add a slapstick air to the stories. Ruiz plants both explicit and implied lessons about responsible behavior throughout this outing for younger chapter-book readers: even the bully voluntarily mends his ways.

Superhero Harry saves the day in this hijinks-filled story collection.In these four stories, previously released as stand-alones, one clumsy boy invents gadgets so that he can fulfill his superhero dreams. The adventure begins with "The Superhero Project." It's the start of the school year. For his first class assignment, Harry must show how he's a superhero in his everyday life. Harry happily gets to work on a pair of "superhero rocket blaster boots." That's what it takes to be an everyday hero, right? In "The Recess Bully," the new kid in class causes trouble for Harry and his classmates. Harry must do the unexpected to save the day: befriend the bully! When Harry builds a robot to do his chores in the "The Runaway Robot," he can't wait to show off his latest invention at the class science fair. But after his robot runs amok at school, Harry learns to use his inventions for a better purpose. Things get wilder in "The Wild Field Trip" thanks to Harry's latest invention: the "super swinger wristbands"! As a collection, Harry's four adventures rely on repetition and gentle humor to impart easy lessons, supported by Ruiz's clear, lively prose. May's cartoony illustrations, meanwhile, add a dash of zany, colorful fun to the events and include a racially diverse cast of characters; Harry himself is depicted with olive skin and spiky black hair.Madcap inventions, bite-sized heroics, and supersized clumsiness wrapped in a winning package. (Fiction. 6-8)