Buy it! You won't be disappointed!Perfect Man, perfect story!! "Michael Maxwell McAllum was the smallest boy in his class. He lived in a small house in a small town on a small street." So begins Wilson and Griffiths' delightful story, "Perfect Man." Michael's all time most-favoritest superhero is the blue-caped, silver-helmeted Perfect Man. He's a hero of mystery, no one knows his true name, no one even knows where he lives, but he's got marketing on his side! "Michael Maxwell McAllum was Perfect Man's biggest fan. He covered his wall with Perfect man posters. He read Perfect man comics and played Perfect Man video games. He ate Perfect Man cereal and wore Perfect Man T-shirts." To Michael, Perfect Man truly IS perfect in every way. Then an interesting twist happens (the first of many) and PM decides to call it quits. He holds a press conference and tells the public that it's time to move on and do something else. The press is curious-where will he go? What will he do? "Oh, I'll find something," PM says, "after all, there's ore than one way to save the world." You'd THINK MMM would be devastated, but he's got a secret faith in PM. After all, PM escaped from space pirates, escaped from the 10th Dimension and even came back from the dead! Of COURSE PM would be coming back, how could you think otherwise?? Nothing happens all summer except for an alien invasion in New York ("They always invaded New York. They never invaded his small town"); other superheroes team up to send the green nasties back to outer space and PM is still not heard form. THEN the next wonderful twist in the story happens: "and then Perfect Man came back. Or maybe not. It was hard to tell. He wasn't wearing the costume." Michael Maxwell McCullum believes that his new teacher, Mr. Clark, IS Perfect Man, only a bit flabbier and rounder. Mr. Clark doesn't yell, loose his temper or take any sick days. When there's conflict, he's there to help smooth the way. When there's pain, he's there to make it feel better. "he was everywhere at once. At least it seemed that way." Though he's convinced that his teacher is PM, he doesn't tell anyone, not even his parents. Though he dreamed of PM coming back to the world of supers and joining him as his sidekick, he doesn't tell ANYONE. Instead, Michael writes stories about Perfect Man. He gives these to his teacher who is quietly impressed and, we can guess by the smile on his face, delighted. One day, Michael tells Mr. Clark he knows the secret, he KNOWS Mr. Clark is Perfect Man. "Mr. Clark smiled. `Do I look like Perfect Man?'" Well, no, not really, but there are shape-shifting machines dreamt up by evil scientists and there are other supers like the Dark Avenger who could help him change his appearance, so it's still quite possible. Mr. Clark doesn't say either way whether or not he's a transmogrified Perfect Man, but he DOES give Michael a bit of advice that changes Michael's focus: "you don't need to be the sidekick, Michael. You can be the superhero." How exactly M.M.M. becomes a superhero who helps save the world I will not reveal, giving you, gentle reader, motivation to get this delightful lil' book for yourself (though I have a hint: it has to do with Michael's story-writing abilities). I stumbled across Perfect Man almost by accident-it was sitting on top of our school librarian's PC and the cover art caught my eye. Upon reading it I was completely captivated by the story and the delightful illustrations. I love the way that the story invites a sense of wonder to the reader; in a world where green, tentacled aliens attack New York, Perfect Man very well COULD be disguised as a pudgy schoolteacher, and Michael could very well be the only one to know this. I love the way Michael's gift and love for writing turns into a gateway for future opportunities. And I especially I love the way that Michael, far from giving up on his hero, keeps quiet vigil for his reappearance, and finds him again in the form of his teacher. After all, it's nice to think that Mr. Clark IS PM who has merely found another way of saving the world, one student at a time.
This is a great book, in the tradition of Freak the Mighty, that encourages young people to write their thoughts and ideas down on paper.
The writing is superb, and the artwork is beyond belief. This Canadian import is well worth the price. Especially for parents who dabbled in comic-book reading themselves (and not the Archie kind), you'll love this book.
Brian PankratzVancouver, BC, Canada
Perfect Man is, above all, great fun. That it also celebrates teachers and writers and children's imaginations is an extra, wonderful bonus for all.Destined to be a classic! This book is destined to be a classic. Great for anyone who loves comic books, superheroes, writing, or who can relate to a kid who needs a boost in his self-esteem. My kids, a girl age 9 and a boy age 7, both love this book. The author visited their school and did a reading there, and the kids are STILL talking about this book weeks later. (Well, the author *did* show up in a Perfect Man costume!) The book is great fun. The illustrations are wonderful. But it's the story that's best of all. My kids also love Click, Clack, Moo, Cows that Type and Bently and Egg by William Joyce.