The (Not So) Superheroes (The Terrible Trio #1)

By Author / Illustrator

Swapna Haddow, Minky Stapleton

Genre

Funny Stories

Age range(s)

Publisher

Scholastic

ISBN

9780702342851

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

11-09-2025

Synopsis

The Terrible Trio is a fun illustrated series, best described as The Bad Guys meets Madagascar! In a world where all animals have superpowers, Zeb the zebra, Margarine the penguin, and Barry the lemur have the WORST powers of all.

Zeb, Margarine, and Barry end up at the back of the line to have the Superpower Supermarket Manager grant them their superpowers and end up getting the short end of the stick. Margarine is granted the special ability to make macaroni and cheese. Barry the Lemur is gifted with the power to write neatly. And Zeb the Zebra can now blend in with a crosswalk...

Working at a cafe and watching everybody else save the world day in and day out, Zeb, Margarine, and Barry wonder if they will ever get to be superheroes for a day themselves?

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Reviews

Tina

In a world where all animals are granted super powers . . . Close friends Zeb (a zebra!), Margarine the penguin and Barry the lemur queue eagerly for their super power allocations. Unfortunately for them, they are at the very end of a very long line and, when they finally reach the front, all the really cool superpowers have already been handed out.

Despite their disappointment, Marge and Barry quickly find a way to to make the best of their new talents but Zeb is not happy. will he ever realise his value to the world? How can he over come his feelings of inadequacy?

The (Not So) Superheroes tumbles along at a terrific pace, there are jokes aplenty and Minky Stapleton's amusing illustrations add to its graphic charms. The gags and wordplays will make you groan aloud and the ending is very satisfying indeed! An ideal read for newly confident readers.

180 pages / Reviewed by Tina Derry