9780062111333
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The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man audiobook

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The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Audiobook Summary

Awesome Man can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly as straight asan arrow, and hug mutant Jell-O! Even villains like Professor Von Evil and the Flaming Eyeball are no match for this caped crusader.

But Awesome Man also has a secret. . . . Can you guess what it is?

The first picture book from Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon perfectly captures the fantasy life of young superhero fans.

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The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Audiobook Narrator

Marc Thompson is the narrator of The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man audiobook that was written by Michael Chabon

About the Author(s) of The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man

Michael Chabon is the author of The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Full Details

Narrator Marc Thompson
Length 6 minutes
Author Michael Chabon
Category
Publisher HarperCollins
Release date September 06, 2011
ISBN 9780062111333

Subjects

The publisher of the The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is HarperCollins. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Action & Adventure, General, Juvenile Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is HarperCollins. The imprint is HarperCollins. It is supplied by HarperCollins. The ISBN-13 is 9780062111333.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Jon

May 25, 2019

Michael Chabon does a great job of taking you back to those summers long ago when a towel around your neck made you 'AWESOME' as you explored the world around you.

Scott

November 02, 2011

I've often said that Michael Chabon is one of America's preeminent contemporary authors, so when I heard he had a children's picture book available, I jumped at the chance to procure one on behalf of my three-year-old.Michael Chabon's The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is cute and innocent and consistent with what we know and love about super heroes. The story follows the adventures of Awesome Man as he teases an astonishing secret throughout.Personally, I found it a tad violent for my three-year-old because of the hitting and fighting. Also, some of the language was not appropriate for her (but we're talking "kick a little behind" and "what the heck" ... nothing too serious). I have no doubt that in another year or two I'll be more comfortable letting her look at it.It should be noted, however, that my daughter asked me to read it to her for three days straight after reading it to her only once ... and she referred to it as "Awesome Man," so clearly the one time I read it to her resonated.Jake Parker's artwork is beautiful. The pictures are fun, colorful, charismatic, and I love the dots in places replicating the way comic books were once colored.An instant favorite with my daughter, The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is a harmless, engaging picture book that, while a tad too violent for my three-year-old because of the fighting, will surely delight those a little older.

Janessa

October 25, 2011

This is the new favorite at our house. Tonight my four year old streaked into the kitchen in his pajamas, urgently demanding, "Where is the book where the guy fights the eyeball?" Even my ten year old loves it. "There are clues, Mom, so that you know it is really a kid pretending to be a superhero." My favorite thing about it? Usually my four and six year old want ME to read their bedtime stories, but this is a Dad-only book. It must be a guy-thing.

Quinn

February 08, 2012

Perusing books on GoodReads, I stumbled across a picture book I hadn't heard of before, written by one of my favorite authors. Michael Chabon has been a favorite of mine since reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. That book that fictionalizes the comic book writers of the 1930s cemented the name Michael Chabon with superheroes, and even though he hasn't written anything in that genre since, when I saw this picture book I ran out and picked it up. The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is a 2011 hardback picture book, illustrated by Jake Parker. This is the first picture book from Chabon, and the first from Parker as well--and is their first collaboration. If this book is any indication, I'd love to see them work together again. Awesome Man is a superhero--flying, red-caped, masked superhero. He can:Fly as high as a satelliteAnd as straight as an arrowOr through the time barrier and not get dizzy, or feel nauseous, or smash into things...except on purpose. When you are a superhero like me, sometimes you have to smash into things.We go with Awesome Man on a patrol through the big city, where he takes on villains like mutant Jell-O from outer space, and giant killer robots, and Professor Von Evil. He almost tells us his secret identity halfway through the book, but is distracted by another threat. So the "astonishing" secret identity is put aside until the end of the book. My boys thought they guessed the secret identity on a page that has a Clark Kent-looking fellow, but they were wrong. Excellent red herring, boys. The book is told using Awesome Man's voice--exuberant and child-like, which makes it a lot of fun to read aloud. After reading it to my sons (ages 7 and 9), they read it a second time to each other, giggling at the heroics happening on each page. Jake Parker's illustrations are beautiful, with the bright colors of a comic book. Awesome Man looks like he's part Superman and part Incredible, and is instantly recognizable as a superhero. The pictures are playful and have the clean lines of animation. There's a lot of action, crumpling robots and flying through the skies, but with an innocent joy that removes any real danger. Every page is fun to look at as well as to read aloud, a tribute to Mr. Parker's skill. A favorite page shows the Fortress of Awesome, Awesome Man's underground headquarters. That page alone could fire kids' imagination for days--I know it did mine. The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man is a fun book for anyone who's a fan of superheroes, and while paying tribute to several different heroes, isn't just an imitation of any of them in particular. It's a great picture book that gets it all right. If you've got kids who love The Incredibles, or Superman or Batman or Captain America, they'll love this book. Goodness knows we did.

Scarlett

December 01, 2011

This is a perfect example of what a children's book should be. I heard that Michael Chabon was sick of kids books that had too many words in them so he set out to write a book that kids would actually like and he really really succeeded. There aren't too many words on each page, so a kid trying to read it himself wouldn't get overwhelmed. The story is fairly easy to understand and he uses current language, so there aren't a lot of dated words or concepts the kids will need explained. I don't know how well the book will hold up--in 20 years I'm not sure kids will enjoy it; it's a bit of an artifact of a current post-ironic climate, but for kids now, it's a winner. Even though the cover indicates that it is a "boy book," my girls really enjoyed it, too.

Maya

January 18, 2013

I have to give this 5 stars because Miles loves it So. Much! I think this is a great superhero book for a 3.5 year old because some of the things that are difficult about sharing superhero stories with a kid that age are not present here. the "bad guys" are silly and not at all realistic. Their bad deeds are just being sort of scary or making a big slimy mess. And Awesome Man's secret identity is a perfect reveal for a kid who is constantly pretending to be someone/something else. Took this out of the library, but I will be buying a copy soon.

Rachel

May 03, 2012

I know we're not necessarily on Good Reads looking for children's books, so I have never reviewed any. But this book was so much fun, my boys unanimously agree that we need to purchase it once we've returned it to the library. Its such a clever book, and if you read it like a circa 1960s super hero, you'll laugh yourself, and your three year old will bring it to you every morning and ask you to read it again, and again, and again....

Romelle

November 10, 2014

Lots of fun for kids! Imagination can transport people to a place of escape. In this story, I see a child learning to come to terms with his feelings and anger, which is revealed in the middle of the story. Being a superhero can sure make you feel invincible and that's what I love about this book. It packs a punch!(Told in first person)

Michael

October 07, 2011

Lots of fun, with plenty of sharp in-jokes for fans of Silver Age Superman and his ilk, but also a nice, power of unconditional love payoff at the end. My 4-year-old daughter especially enjoys Awesome Man's archnemesis, The Flaming Eyeball!Check out my fuller review, if you care to, at http://thescifichristian.com/2011/10/....

Cheryl

December 29, 2011

This is a fun book with retro comic book style illustrations. The language used reminds me of my sons when they used to pretend to be superheroes. I just wish the story was a little longer. At their request, I read this book to my grandkids three times--they loved it.

Suzanne

August 27, 2012

I think I like this one more than the kiddo does, because he's not quite old enough to get the superhero thing yet. He thinks Awesome Man's dog is pretty great though. ("'some dog!") I can't resist giving him a hug when we read the end. :)

Andy

December 09, 2018

The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man Written By: Michael Chabon Illustrated By: Jake ParkerFountas & Pinnell: NBook Level: 3rd GradeBook Summary: This story is about all the things Awesome Man can do. The most awesome thing about him, despite being basically awesome, is his secret identity. Genre: Fantasy and Picture BookThis is a modern fantasy due to it being about the fantasy life of a little boy. This is a picture book because of the text being supported by pictures. Bookshelf Mentor Writing Traits:Voice: The story is told through the view of a young superhero fan. This story would be a nice addition to a mentor text set on writing, specifically a section on voice. It could also work nicely as a part of an individual reading program for a student who likes superheroes.

Deb (Readerbuzz)

November 30, 2011

“I can fly as high as a satellite and as straight as an arrow or through the time barrier and not get dizzy, or feel nauseous, or smash into things…except on purpose. When you are a superhero like me, sometimes you have to smash into things.”Awesome Man is very powerful. He can fight bad guys. He can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs. He is superstrong. But he must be careful that he doesn’t let his powers go down and be too weak to fight bad guys. Luckily, his dog can bring him food and his energy will be renewed.The story of a superhero that every kid will love.

Lindsay

January 10, 2018

This is a fun book about a totally awesome man. He fights bad guys and protects the city. Through the whole book, we thought we were watching a man, but it turns out it was a young boy with a great imagination. Your little superhero will enjoy this book for sure.

Susan

August 31, 2017

This is a humorous book about a superhero called Awesome Man. The language is really intense with big words, but if you read this one with a superhero voice, the kids love it as a read-along. Helps kids think about what to do when they are really mad- a nice benefit.

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