The Magma Cup - (Sort of Super) by Eric Gapstur

About the Book

"Eleven year-old superhero Wyatt Flynn and his little sister Adeline go to Camp Igneous, where they secretly explore a mysterious volcano which may be a key piece in the puzzle of what happened to their missing mother."--

Book Synopsis

Awkward by Svetlana Chmakova meets the HiLo series in this second book in the action-packed Sort of Super middle grade graphic novel series that follows superhero Wyatt and his sidekicks on an undercover mission to summer camp!

Wyatt and his sister Adeline are determined to investigate an extinct volcano hundreds of miles from home that Adeline believes to be related to their mother's mysterious disappearance. At first it seems like an impossible mission until they realize there's a summer camp conveniently situated near the base of the volcano. So it's off to summer camp for Wyatt, Adeline, and their buddies Beto and Nara. But when they get there, they find it impossible to sneak away from the heavily chaperoned grounds.

Opportunity presents itself by way of the Magma Cup, the camp's tournament-style series of mental and physical competitions where the finalists compete in an overnight--and less chaperoned--scavenger hunt on the volcano itself!

Unable to use their abilities, can the super-team win their bracket and ditch their counselors to explore the secrets of the volcano and the connection it has to Wyatt and Adelina's missing mother...or will the whole thing blow up in their face?

Review Quotes

Two young superheroes start a search for their missing mom at a summer camp built next to a volcano. What could go wrong?

Enlisting their friends Beto Moreno and Nara Jenkins--respectively, an aspiring magician and a medal-winning wrestler--to help, fledgling secret super sibs Adeline and Wyatt Flynn enroll at Camp Igneous, conveniently situated at the base of the volcano where their mom might have disappeared four years before. Along with pursuing an investigation, though, the team faces serious competition vying for the titular cup in a series of mentally and physically demanding obstacle courses and other challenges, all while keeping their special powers hidden. The art's bright colors, overlapping panels, and expressively posed cartoon figures ramp up the pacing and visual energy for a plot that features a series of suspenseful contests capped by encounters with "radioactive goop" and other surprises in the volcano's crater and hints of a connection between the missing parent and a clandestine group of bad actors called the Quadrant. Stay tuned. Gapstur builds preteen banter, team building, frustrated romance, and even a nearly catastrophic eruption that tests the superkids' abilities to the utmost into this lively sequel. Wyatt and Adeline are White; the supporting cast includes racial diversity.

Triumphs, mishaps, and revelations kick this adventure into high gear. (Graphic adventure. 8-12)

--Kirkus "5/1/23"