Captain Nobody - by Dean Pitchford

Who is Captain Nobody?  It all starts during a football game, THE BIG GAME, where fourth-grader Newt Newman's older brother Chris, the star quarterback of the high school team, is out to make history.  He does, but not quite in the way he intended.

This story follows Newt and his two best friends, tall-girl J.J. and short but drum-crazy Cecil, as they navigate being the least-popular kids in fourth grade, but also as they struggle to find a way to come to terms with a tragedy that strikes Newt's family.  I really can't tell you what happens, but trust me that it is BIG.

Before you know it, Newt is dressing up in his brother's old clothes and calling himself Captain Nobody.  Of course, that isn't enough to make anyone a super hero.  Really.  Or, is it?  And what kind of superhero would "Captain Nobody" be, anyway?  That, dear reader, is the key to the whole story!

This is such an amazing, heartfelt, readable story that my 6-year-old and I, who just finished listening to it on CD in the car, have been lingering in the driveway because we just don't want to turn it off!  Equal parts funny and touching, this is a really fantastic book.  It is not part of a series, but stands alone as a testament to the power of courage and friends to make everything better.