Good-naturedly sardonic Tucker MacBean is a collector and aspiring creator of comic books, a preoccupation that he realizes doesn't rank high "on the sliding scale of middle-school coolness." He enters a contest to create a sidekick for his favorite superhero, convinced that a win will jump-start his popularity; he plans to give the prize-a college scholarship-to his overextended single mother, who's juggling classes and work. Tucker joins the art club to prepare his entry, and Sam (a classmate who Tucker sees as "arch nemesis to the world") is hired to babysit his special-needs brother after school. As Beanboy, Tucker's invented sidekick, takes shape (Harkrader also contributes sketches and comics-style panel art throughout), Tucker displays his own heroism when he reaches out to Sam after discovering why she is so belligerent and defensive. Tucker's rapport with his brother, concern for his mother, and frustration with his absent father (who now "only existed in e-mails") add emotional depth to Harkrader's (Airball: My Life in Briefs) believable portrait of school and family life. Ages 9-12. Agent: Steven Chudney, the Chudney Agency. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(Fiction. 8-12)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Tucker, a quiet kid who likes to fly under the radar, decides to enter a comic book contest in hopes of winning a reward to help his struggling mother make ends meet. Tucker's creation of his superhero (Beanboy) intertwines with his own confrontations with the school bully. Sketches and comic book excerpts appear intermittently in this entertaining and inspiring story. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 4-7-Comic-book dweeb Tucker MacBean fervently waits each month for the latest issue of his beloved superhero comic, H2O. When the publishers announce a contest to design the protagonist's sidekick, the seventh grader sees it as the solution to his problems. The prize is a full college scholarship, which he hopes to win for his mother so that she can quit her job to focus on school and her boys-Tucker and his brother with special needs, Beecher. Standing in his way is his arch nemesis, combat-boot-wearing, death-glaring Sam (Samantha) Zawicki and the rules for the contest, which state that the prize cannot be transferred. Tucker's superhero has the ultimate weapon-stun gas from emitted flatulence-but the boy struggles to uncover within himself the fearless heart of a hero to serve as the model for the key element of his superhero. Harkrader has created superb characters in a story that interweaves Tucker's developing Beanboy comic and other illustrations, such as sticky-note communications between him and his mother. Fans of Dav Pilkey's "Captain Underpants" (Scholastic) or Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" (Abrams) books will embrace Tucker and his winsome, quirky friends and schoolmates.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Thirteen-year-old comics aficionado Tucker MacBean enters a contest to create a sidekick for his favorite superhero, H2O, hoping to win a college scholarship for his divorced, overworked mother. His alter-ego creation, Beanboy, is strong, uses tendrils as lassos, and employs his gaseous tendencies for flight and as a malodorous weapon. As Beanboy's character and story develop, so does Tucker's own ability to respond to the injustices he sees all around him especially those involving Sam, a girl in his class who uses bravado to battle the bullies who torment her. Harkrader, author of Airball: My Life in Briefs (2005), offers another knowing, funny, and sometimes moving look at middle-school issues. Secondary characters, especially Beecher (Tucker's younger brother with special needs) and Sam (whose gruff exterior hides a difficult family situation) are well developed, and black line illustrations pages from Tucker's comic that form a secondary narrative add to the book's appeal. Share this with fans of Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid series. Sequels are promised.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2010 Booklist