HyperKid v BullBorg (The Adventures of HyperKid) - Softcover

Daub, Emerson; Daub, Richard

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0978829883 ISBN 13: 9780978829889

Publisher: Clay Road Press, 2016

Synopsis

Written by nine year old Emerson Daub and his father, kids and adults will truly enjoy this tale of Morgan Wallace, a smart fourth grade comic book kid whose hyperactivity makes it difficult for him to stay focused in school and sometimes makes him feel self-conscious about being different. Then one night during the summer before fourth grade, something happens that would cause him to find out what it is like to really be different: the rays of a meteor shower transform him into a cyborg with superpowers.When the family doctor is unable to help turn him back into a normal nine year old kid, Morgan convinces his parents to let him use his new powers as a super hero named HyperKid. During the first day of school, his primary mission immediately becomes clear: to defend the kids of West Plains Elementary from Brian Bullini, the new kid in school who also has cyborg superpowers and would become HyperKid's arch rival, BullBorg. The two quickly commence battling each other on the playground during recess and after school, but they would soon realize that they have more in common than being cyborgs, and their rivalry eventually becomes a powerful friendship.With a cast of humorous characters and hilarious scenes, HyperKid v BullBorg is ultimately an inspiring story about rising above personal obstacles and the loneliness that often accompanies the feeling of being different. It is also a story about friendship and understanding that stems from the recognition that two individuals who come from seemingly different worlds have more in common than not.4th Grade & up, 150 pages. Available in print and Kindle editions.

About this title

About the Author

Emerson Daub is a fourth grade student who loves to play with toys and has a healthy interest in cyborgs and super heroes. Having already written a children's book with his father Richard about their pet cats titled Spaulding and Zoom, Emerson expressed interest in writing a new book that combined two of his favorite interests. In writing this new book, Emerson, who has a very creative mind and active imagination, sat down with his father and in one sitting made up the story that would become The Adventures of HyperKid: HyperKid v BullBorg. Richard, who at one time had been a reporter but admittedly has very limited knowledge of cyborgs and modern super heroes, took extremely diligent notes and asked many detailed questions about the characters and the story. After this marathon session, Richard typed up the notes and gave them a voice. Over the following months, the father and son duo worked together to refine the prose into a tight but entertaining first person narrative. They hope the finished work will be enjoyed by all who read it and that it will serve as inspiration for everyone to rise above their personal obstacles and not let them hinder the pursuit of their goals and dreams.

From the Back Cover

A fun adventure book that looks at some real life issues...
The Adventures of HyperKid is more than just a series about a kid who becomes a super-hero. The ideas came from the mind of a nine year old based on his view of the world, and that is how the book is written. HyperKid v BullBorg explores issues that grade school kids will recognize and understand, but they are presented in an engaging way that will keep the reader interested. The reading level itself is modeled after other books that are meant to be an introduction to chapter books, but this one goes a little deeper than those other ones while still containing elements of humor that make the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books so popular (author Emerson Daub has read every one of the Wimpy Kid books and loves them). HyperKid v BullBorg is also meant to inspire in a positive way by presenting the message that you do not have super powers in order to be a super hero, and that sometimes the simplest gestures can have the most impact on someone's life.

From the Inside Flap

Richard Daub on writing with his son:
This is the second book Emerson and I have written together, and I am happy to see his imagination flourish. The first book, "Spaulding and Zoom", was an exercise in doing writing that can be more fun than the writing he was doing in school. For the "HyperKid" book, it was fun attempting to keep my note-taking up to speed with the speed at which he was telling me this tale of cyborgs and bullies. At the end of this first session I had several pages of scrawled notes that I typed into the computer, and the story was pretty much all there. All I had to do was translate it into first-person prose. Now, with the second "HyperKid" book, he has already started it, but this time he is writing up his own notes and drawing illustrations with very detailed notes in his journal. This is from a kid who didn't like to write. I am very proud that we will always have these books as a reminder of something we did together when he was growing up.

The Adventures of HyperKid Influences:
Emerson and his brother both love super heroes, Marvel in particular, and Iron Man is at the top of the list at the moment. But even when Emerson was really young, he had a fascination with cyborgs. He says now that it was the Cyborg character from the DC Universe, which may be the case because he did watch "Teen Titans" and also the more comical "Teen Titans Go", while also playing the DC Universe Online video game. He's not so familiar with the Arnold Schwarzenegger "Terminator" movies. But there was always something about the red light eye of cyborgs that captivated him. Many of the characters in his old children's books were converted to cyborgs by having their right eyes filled in with a red magic marker--and he did this when he was four or five. So, after we finished "Spaulding and Zoom" and he said he wanted to work on another book with me, I asked what he wanted it to be about. He said "Cyborgs". And that was the first step.

Hyperactivity
It seems that we now live in a world that is entirely hyperactive, yet technology is rendering human being more distracted and less physically active. This is especially true of kids. Fifty years ago, there wasn't much else for kids to do but to run around outside all day until they were called home for dinner. They would expend massive amounts of physical energy, so when they did have to sit still in a classroom, they didn't have all this pent up energy. Like Morgan Wallace, today's kids almost have to be forced to go outside and do physically active things, and because they are not spending enough of their natural energy, it becomes pent up. So when it is time to sit still and pay attention, they can't because they have too much stored energy, and a human being teaching them things they consider boring are not able to hold their attention. Thirty years ago, kids rode their bikes places and walked to school, even in elementary school. Today, this is rare, but understandable given the consciousness of the dangers in the world. They are driven everywhere, and even less physical energy is being expended.

Bullying
Why do some kids bully? There are reasons for it, but most of the time teachers and students don't see them. Quite often the reason is that something is wrong at home. This is what Morgan gets to see firsthand with Brian Bullini, and even at the age of 9 he understands that something is seriously wrong at Brian's home. Schools have become highly aware of bullying and anti-bullying has become a constant theme, but how can schools address the root cause of it without overstepping its bounds? Schools don't have the right or the resources to address family issues that occur outside of the school, yet they still have to deal with kids who bring these problems to the school. No one was helping Brian Bullini. His mother was doing all she could just to pay the rent and put food on the table. The problems from home were brought to the school grounds, and soon they were everyone's problem. This is a very real problem in the world today, and very little is being done to solve it. Simple anti-bullying campaigns are not enough.

Edition details

• Publisher: Clay Road Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0978829883
• ISBN 13: 9780978829889
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 158