Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain

Gr 5–8—Ever since she could remember, Penny Akk has fantasized about following in the footsteps of her superhero parents (The Audit and Brainy Akk). Despite her parents' prediction that it could be years before her powers develop, Penny and her friends Claire and Ray soon find themselves superpowered—and supervillainous. Penny never meant to be a bad guy, but she turns out to be a most excellent mad scientist. Emily Woo Zeller voices Penny's maniacal, mad-scientist laughter; Claire's soft, cooing giggles; and Ray's deeper voice, while also capturing the essence of the "Inscrutable Machine" and a host of other monsters, shape-shifters, and ghosts. Her pacing, intonations, and expressions (one can actually "hear" her smile) are appropriate for the dozens of characters. This book is a creative superhero/villain novel featuring an abundance of characters, superpowers, plots, subplots, and action sequences. A few parts require extra suspension of belief (what teen would refer to a shirt as a "blouse" or exclaim, "By Tesla's Spontaneous Combustion!"?), but listeners may find it refreshing to listen to a squeaky-clean, minimally gory action novel.