Rescue Me!

Super heroes have the power to entice most any kid to keep reading. And in Rescue Me!, kids get a dose of the incredible as well as a lesson in faith. Written by Bryce Morgan and illustrated by Mitch Martin, the reader follows Captain Sun as he battles the evil Black-Out, who is trying to snuff the light out of Capital City.

Black-Out captures Captain Sun in a "black-cloud grip," but Captain Sun fights so he can stop his nemesis from exacting his evil plan on the city he's sworn to protect. Our hero escapes, only to lure Black-Out high above the city, where the two fight. Captain Sun disables Black-Out, who falls to the earth. Captain Sun races to keep him alive, narrowly slowing the criminal from hitting the ocean at a fatal speed. The police retrieve Black-Out... but what happened to the city's hero?

Of course, a superhero needs a secret identity, and Captain Sun is no different. He survives the fall, and drags himself to his apartment, where he quietly lives not as a super hero, but as Derek Duke. He barely has time to recover when the alert goes out - Black-Out has escaped! Captain Sun can't stop Black-Out alone, so he calls on his four also-super hero friends. Will they be able to defeat Black-Out once and for all, or is the bad guy too strong for all five of them?

What I Like: The short book takes you through a typical super hero story, divided into chapters where each section illustrates the parallels between the story and the Bible. For instance, the first chapter covers Captain Sun's "Origin Story." In the corresponding section after the graphics, the author asks if the reader knows "that all of us have an 'origin story'?" It further explains how the Bible tells how God made us in His own image. A verse usually accompanies the explanation.

Martin's illustrations are perfect for the story, and despite the dark aspect the story could take, they're never scary.

What I Dislike: The chapter notes at the end really stopped the story progression. I'd almost have liked to see it at the end of the book rather than its current setup.

Overall Rating: Very good.

Age Appeal: 8 - 12

Publisher Info: M5 Productions, 2011; ISBN: 978-1466401471; Paperback, 38 pgs., $10.99

Buy it at Amazon.com for $8.99.

Special Info: A premium edition of the book is available at Lulu.com with additional features for $15.64.