The Super Life of Ben Braver
By Marcus Emerson
March 6, 2018
Roaring Book Press
Ben Braver is an ordinary kid. All he wants to do is finish his summer watching awesome TV shows and eating his favorite candy. But when some kid screams for help, Ben, like his favorite comic book heroes, tries to save the day. Let's just say it ends badly. But it does lead him to a secret school where kids with super abilities learn to control their powers. Ben's never had any powers—and never thought he could be special. So when he's offered a spot at the school, Ben realizes this is his chance to become the superhero he's always dreamed of. Packed with black-and-white art and comic strips throughout.
Ben Braver and the Incredible Exploding Kid
(Ben Braver #2)
By Marcus Emerson
March 5, 2019
Roaring Book Press
The Super Life of Ben Braver: The Incredible Exploding Kid is jam-packed with art and comic strips. It's another wacky adventure from Marcus Emerson, the author behind the hit Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja series!
“A crazy fun ride—action packed and loaded with laughs!” —Max Brallier, The Last Kids on Earth
Even though Ben Braver saved Kepler Academy from total destruction last year, he knows he still doesn't fit in at his secret middle school for kids with special abilities. Ben's been hiding his lack of super skills, but it's getting harder as his classmates' powers are getting stronger.
Will Ben be able to power up before his enemies at school take him down? And will he risk everything to become the ultimate superhero?
Q1. What three words best describe your book Ben Braver and the Incredible Exploding Kid?
Incredible. Exploding. And Kid. No, I’m kidding. I’d say Secrets, Lies, and Battles.
Q2. Grab a copy of Ben Braver and the Incredible Exploding Kid and answer the following
Favorite chapter? Chapter 51, because it’s the climax. It’s where everything finally comes crashing down.
Favorite page? 181 & 182. It’s a double page spread of an epic superpower battle between 20 students a bunch of chickens.
Favorite setting? Ben often has a heart to heart with a statue in front of the school. The statue is a boy named Brock who turned himself to stone several years ago. These are my favorite scenes to write because it’s always Ben at his most vulnerable. It’s when we (and he) learn the most about him.
Flip to a random page and give us a 1-2 sentences teaser:
Ben discovers that the world ended, and that Elvis Presley was responsible for it.
Q3. What inspired the Ben Braver series? How did the story come to be?
I’ve always been a fan of superhero comics ever since I discovered them in 6th grade. I’ve doodled and designed superheroes my entire life, and the X-men is one of my all-time favorite comics. I wanted to write a superhero story like the X-men, but I wanted to start from scratch, using my own characters so I could really dig into the characters. I wanted to make a superhero team that’s made up of best friends, and the dynamics of what that would look like, especially when one of those members is ordinary.
Q4. Tell us a bit about your character Ben. What makes him special? What do you love about him?
Ben is a totally regular kid who stumbled into a school full of kids with powers. He’s a total fish out of water and he feels it every second of every day, and even though he often feels defeated, he keeps pushing forward. It’s his unrelenting determination that has him working harder than ANY student at the school. He’s hungry. He WANTS to succeed. And failure can’t stop him. Even at his lowest point, he still stands back up just because he can.
Q5. What do you love about writing and reading middle-grade lit?
I’m still a kid at heart so writing for this age group comes naturally for me. And that age is such an interesting time in life because those kids are old enough to learn some serious life lessons that’ll resonate with them for the rest of their lives, but they’re also still young enough to be silly and carefree. It’s a mix of both worlds – serious and silly.
Q6. What is your all-time favorite middle-grade book?
I’d have to say any of the Goosebumps because they’re the books that made me first realize I loved reading. STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT is the first book I couldn’t put down. I was hooked. I read it from start to finish in one day.
I’m really awesome at wasting time.
I’m really embarrassed to admit that I waste A LOT of time.
The last great book I read was Time Management: How to Stop Wasting Time.
Q8. If you were to create and bake a cupcake inspired by Ben Braver and the Incredible Exploding Kid what would it look and taste like? What would you call it?
It would be a chocolate cupcake filled with a chocolate pudding center. On top would be a full sized peanut butter cup. On top of that would be a dollop of creamy peanut butter. On top of that would tiny, chopped up pieces of another peanut butter cup. It’ll also come with a tiny peanut butter cup as an appetizer. I would call it The Atomic Peanut Butter Cup Belly Buster, or, APBCBB for short.
Marcus Emerson is the author of several highly imaginative children's books including the popular Diary of a 6th Grade Ninja series and the Secret Agent 6th Grader series. His goal is to create children's books that are engaging, funny, and inspirational for kids of all ages - even the adults who secretly never grew up. He is a 35-year-old comic book reader, video game player, and toy collector.
