Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collections
Publication
Tor Teen (2021), 400 pages
Description
Nick Bell? Not extraordinary. But being the most popular fanfiction writer in the Extraordinaries fandom is a superpower, right? After a chance encounter with Shadow Star, Nova City's mightiest hero (and Nick's biggest crush), Nick sets out to make himself extraordinary. And he'll do it with or without the reluctant help of Seth Gray, Nick's best friend (and maybe the love of his life).
User reviews
LibraryThing member alliepascal
(general spoilers)
Ugh. "The Extraordinaries" is one of my most disappointing 2020 reads. Might have something to do with the fact that I was so excited to read it after reading the first chapter preview. Mostly has to do with the extraordinarily bad timing of this book's release. It has to do with
:(
Ugh. "The Extraordinaries" is one of my most disappointing 2020 reads. Might have something to do with the fact that I was so excited to read it after reading the first chapter preview. Mostly has to do with the extraordinarily bad timing of this book's release. It has to do with
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the police......and look, I get that this is supposed to be a lighthearted book and in an ideal world the police force would mostly be a force for good, and it's understandably more skewed because the main character is the son of a police officer, but so much of it didn't sit well with me. I was generally cool with the humor but then Nick goes and jokes twice specifically about police brutality and intimidation. This is where I was like, Really now?:(
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LibraryThing member ablachly
This book was a DELIGHT. Full of heart and queerness, The Extraordinaries features a fanfic writing kid with ADHD who's figuring out his relationships with both family and friends, and of course, with the real live superheroes and villains in his city. I literally laughed AND cried, and stayed up
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into the wee hours of the night to finish it in one swoop. Show Less
LibraryThing member SoubhiKiewiet
This was a fun queer YA! I have to say the author wrote ADHD so well in this book that I felt unable to focus sometimes as I was reading it!
Nick was a sweet if clueless sometimes teenage boy with a great cast of friends. I didn't know whether to root for him or not in his quest to gain super
TJ Klune is an author to watch for sure!
Nick was a sweet if clueless sometimes teenage boy with a great cast of friends. I didn't know whether to root for him or not in his quest to gain super
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powers and become an Extraordinary. The ending wasn't surprising to me, but I am much much older than the target audience. I bet if I read this as a teen it would have landed on my best of the year list.TJ Klune is an author to watch for sure!
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LibraryThing member bibliovermis
This book was an almost utterly predictable, superhero-themed rom-com, in the best possible way. It hit all the right beats and was immensely satisfying, like your favorite comfort film you've seen 100 times. The unpredictable part of it was its thoughtful, considerate handling of its main
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character's neurodivergence. I'm anxious to read the next installment! Show Less
LibraryThing member Vanessa_Menezes
I certainly did enjoy reading this! It was a totally different and creatively inventive plot. The banter between Nick Bell and his friends is hilarious.
Overall, it was a funny, lighthearted and unapologetically queer book!
Highly recommended for a fun read!
Thank You to NetGalley and
Overall, it was a funny, lighthearted and unapologetically queer book!
Highly recommended for a fun read!
Thank You to NetGalley and
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Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC!! Show Less
LibraryThing member oldandnewbooksmell
The Extraordinaries is about Nick Bell and his love for his city's Extraordinary, Shadow Star. So much love that he writes he's an online popular fanfiction writer for the Shadow Star fandom. After events occur Nick decides he must change himself into an Extraordinary with the help of his best
This is the first book of TJ Klune that I read, and if I remember correctly, this is his first YA release - he did a good job! The Extraordinaries has a little bit of everything. LGBTQ characters, including a badass lesbian couple, we have superheroes, ADHD representation, and well rounded, unique characters.
I loved the friend dynamic of Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz. They're all there to support each other no matter the topic. Which is great, because some of the things that Nick did in the book annoyed me so much. Here his friends are doing everything they can to support him and he'd be very self-centered about it... even doing something that, in all honesty, I don't see anyone doing older than ten, much less sixteen, because of how stupid it was. He remained frustratingly oblivious on a lot of things and it goes from being realistic to just plain stupidity.
The reveal is hinted nearly all the way through the book and I guessed it for the most part, which is what I think Klune was trying to do. There are quite a few twists that I wasn't expecting so that made the novel exciting.
Overall, it was a good YA debut novel. I've already got the sequel on my lists to look out for.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Tor Teen for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
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friends Gibby, Jazz, and his friend who looks super cute in bowties and ascots, Seth.This is the first book of TJ Klune that I read, and if I remember correctly, this is his first YA release - he did a good job! The Extraordinaries has a little bit of everything. LGBTQ characters, including a badass lesbian couple, we have superheroes, ADHD representation, and well rounded, unique characters.
I loved the friend dynamic of Nick, Seth, Gibby, and Jazz. They're all there to support each other no matter the topic. Which is great, because some of the things that Nick did in the book annoyed me so much. Here his friends are doing everything they can to support him and he'd be very self-centered about it... even doing something that, in all honesty, I don't see anyone doing older than ten, much less sixteen, because of how stupid it was. He remained frustratingly oblivious on a lot of things and it goes from being realistic to just plain stupidity.
The reveal is hinted nearly all the way through the book and I guessed it for the most part, which is what I think Klune was trying to do. There are quite a few twists that I wasn't expecting so that made the novel exciting.
Overall, it was a good YA debut novel. I've already got the sequel on my lists to look out for.
*Thank you BookishFirst and Tor Teen for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review
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LibraryThing member NannyOgg13
Over the top, fun, emotional, ridiculous, and just a bit extra.
LibraryThing member brittaniethekid
DNF at 30%. Nothing wrong with the writing or characters, it was just very much written for younger audiences and I couldn't get into it.
LibraryThing member LVStrongPuff
OMG!!!!! I cannot get enough of this book. I laughed so hard during some chapters that tears rolled down my face. There were other chapters that I felt my heart being torn out of its chest, thrown onto the freeway and run over by a semi. The characters are just amazing.
Nick is written amazingly as
Michael Lesley does an awesome job reading this book. I loved the different voices he did for each person. I think his voices made me laugh even harder. Everytime he talked for Owen I felt like he was trying to do a Christian Slater impersonation. So good.
I think everyone should read this book or at least listen to the audiobook!!!!!
Nick is written amazingly as
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an ADHD character. He reminded me so much of my kids that also have ADHD. I loved his dad and how he really is a cop that doesn't put up with anything. Michael Lesley does an awesome job reading this book. I loved the different voices he did for each person. I think his voices made me laugh even harder. Everytime he talked for Owen I felt like he was trying to do a Christian Slater impersonation. So good.
I think everyone should read this book or at least listen to the audiobook!!!!!
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LibraryThing member tuusannuuska
An own voices queer book about teenage superheroes and a boy who's obsessed with them. Also a book about family and friends and the things we set out to do for them.
Now, I love Klune's brand of cracky humor, and his books have a special place in my heart, so I can in no way be objective about this.
(And if I'm trying for honesty here, plot wise this isn't really all that original, and I did roll my eyes a couple of times, but the good still overshadowed the cliched. Also, there was enough self awareness for it not to get obnoxious.
Now, I love Klune's brand of cracky humor, and his books have a special place in my heart, so I can in no way be objective about this.
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I laughed out loud a lot, and I was rooting for Nick throughout the book. I also really loved Nick's relationship with his dad. The YA aspect wasn't my favourite, and I think the story would have worked better if the characters were at least in their twenties, but so long as I could look past that, I really enjoyed the book.(And if I'm trying for honesty here, plot wise this isn't really all that original, and I did roll my eyes a couple of times, but the good still overshadowed the cliched. Also, there was enough self awareness for it not to get obnoxious.
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LibraryThing member Gena678
Three stars for making me laugh out loud a few times. I liked the superhero plot, but agree that some of the violence and depiction of the police was tone-deaf. However, I think it is good for what it is-- fanfic about fanfic (about fanfic?).
LibraryThing member tornadox
A novel about queer teens and superheroes and fanfiction and ADHD. Nick Bell is in love with his city's Extraordinary hero. If they ever meet, will real life match his fantasies?
Some of the characters write and read fanfiction. In fact, the author does a great job of melding ff.net and ao3 styles.
I'm actually looking forward to the next book in the series.
ETA: Just read through some of the other reviews. The novel does frame police in a very positive light. I agree. Some of the lines made me uncomfortable and were particularly tone-deaf in a book read in 2020. And yet. The novel is written from the POV of a white boy. His father is a cop and the chief of police is a close family friend; naturally, the kid is very pro-police. Nick is also completely oblivious to what is happening around him, and that can definitely include police brutality. Part of Nick's character arc is to begin to see nuances between good and evil. By the end, he's questioning what it means to be a hero as well as how heroes are constructed and portrayed in the media. In the next book, I hope that Nick will expand his new critical thinking skills to re-evaluate his hero-worship of the police. (The epilogue lays the groundwork for this future distrust of the police.)
Some of the characters write and read fanfiction. In fact, the author does a great job of melding ff.net and ao3 styles.
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The novel grapples with RPF and Mary Sues without using those terms at the same time it plays around with a lot of fanfic tropes (such as oblivious boys in love and identity porn). It presents and discusses superheroes, sidekicks, secret identities, and love interests with love and respect. Despite all of these genre trappings, its world feels realistic. This novel feels like it is young adult follow-up to [b:Soon I Will Be Invincible|645180|Soon I Will Be Invincible|Austin Grossman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320554514l/645180._SY75_.jpg|955983]I'm actually looking forward to the next book in the series.
ETA: Just read through some of the other reviews. The novel does frame police in a very positive light. I agree. Some of the lines made me uncomfortable and were particularly tone-deaf in a book read in 2020. And yet. The novel is written from the POV of a white boy. His father is a cop and the chief of police is a close family friend; naturally, the kid is very pro-police. Nick is also completely oblivious to what is happening around him, and that can definitely include police brutality. Part of Nick's character arc is to begin to see nuances between good and evil. By the end, he's questioning what it means to be a hero as well as how heroes are constructed and portrayed in the media. In the next book, I hope that Nick will expand his new critical thinking skills to re-evaluate his hero-worship of the police. (The epilogue lays the groundwork for this future distrust of the police.)
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LibraryThing member deslivres5
This one did remind me a little bit of the Renegades series by Marissa Meyer.
Superhero teens with secret identities.
The story surrounds a cadre of likeable high school friends complete with LGBTQ romances.
One of the main characters also has ADHD.
There are lots of secondary characters whose sweet
First in a series.
Superhero teens with secret identities.
The story surrounds a cadre of likeable high school friends complete with LGBTQ romances.
One of the main characters also has ADHD.
There are lots of secondary characters whose sweet
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interactions add to the enjoyment of this novel.First in a series.
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Awards
Green Mountain Book Award (Nominee — 2022)
Nevada Young Readers' Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 2024)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Nominee — 2022)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — High School — 2022)
ALA Rainbow Book List (Selection — 2021)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020-07-14
Physical description
400 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
125020366X / 9781250203663