What is a kid to do when a pair of purple sneakers with silver wings appear on his doorstep? Put them on, of course! It turns out that these sneakers have magical powers that turn Freddie, a lonely boy with an overworked mom and an absentee father, into a superhero. The shoes change Freddie's life and he uses the Zapaato power, the super speed, they give him to make his urban community a better place to live.
A few Spanish words and his last name identify Freddie as Hispanic, a plus for a simple chapter book that features a child who is building self-determination, but he could be any second or third grader. Simple cartoonish line drawings and short, episodic chapters add to the readability. In the sequel, Freddie Ramos Springs into Action, Freddie meets the inventor of his shoes and tries to get an on/off switch to harness his new-found powers.
Jeanette Larson, Books Editor, teaches children’s literature for the School of Library & Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University
