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Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power sends newly superpowered Condor Kid on a mission to find a group of missing boys and uncover what’s really happening inside the mysterious Pleasure Island. What inspired you to transform Mo from Muppit Boy into the superhero Condor Kid?
I liked the added challenge to Mo’s already complicated life by having Dr. Drug experiment on him and give him super strength. Coupled with his poor self-image and now inability to grow beyond age twelve, I’m challenging the character to rise above himself to help others in need. I also like exploring the challenges of being a real-life superhero in a world that only knows fictional ones.
Mo has extraordinary abilities but remains insecure about very ordinary things. Why was that contrast important?
Mo is thirteen, but stuck growth-wise at twelve. This is a very awkward age for most kids, my own son included. Given Mo’s difficult relationship with the Muppit Boy persona created by his mom’s YouTube channel and the endless nose jokes he’s had to endure, he must force himself to see his own greatness that lies within, which can be tough for kids his age who more than anything just want to fit in.
What inspired the idea of building the central mystery around energetic boys who have struggled at school or at home, and what do you hope young readers who have sometimes felt “too much” recognize in these characters?
I’ve been a teacher and worked with middle/high school kids most of my life, and found myself constantly going to bat for boys who “had too much energy in the classroom” and were constantly in trouble for their natural nature. As a male teacher, I accepted these boys without question because I know how typical such energy and competitiveness can be in boys, but the vast majority of teachers are female and many have never raised boys at home. Boys and girls learn differently and it’s the job of each teacher to adjust their teaching styles to accommodate every student. Sadly, most don’t do this, so the energetic/competitive boy is punished or told he needs medication by a one-size-fits-all system that doesn’t want to adapt. I know there are many boys out there who have experienced this prejudice and I hope they are given access to this book.
Where would you like to take Muppit Boy and Condor Kid in future adventures?
The next few books in the series are already written and each one involves some element of science or technology that is rushed into production or misused in some fashion. I want readers to understand that just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be. But the heart of all these books is the relationship between the characters, old and new.
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Elmo Fitzroy—known worldwide as Muppit Boy—adopts a new alter ego in this latest adventure – Condor Kid! Having been altered through the infusion of revolutionary nanite technology, Mo has become the world’s first superhero. That is, if he can learn to fly without faceplanting every time.
Hiding his superpowers from best friends Barney and Kashvi is not as easy as it looks in comic books, especially with someone as sharp as Kash. She doesn’t miss a trick, so after Condor Kid pulls off a dramatic rescue at a local carnival, Kash is hot on the trail of this new masked hero, determined to uncover his identity.
In the meantime, athletic, overly energetic boys labeled ADHD by their schools are vanishing as part of a devious plot to make use of their competitive spirit. Oscar Silverman—Mo’s boss—assigns the case to Mo and his Big Brother mentor/spying partner, Ari. What the crime-fighting duo really needs is a hyper, athletic boy to go undercover, but, unfortunately, everyone knows Muppit Boy is a nerd, not an athlete.
Can Mo save the lives of a hundred kidnapped youth from a scientist who’s exploiting them in the craziest scheme ever, or will he need the help of the last person on earth he’d ever expect to work with?
Join Mo and his friends in this latest wild adventure and learn all the answers!
Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power
Muppit Boy and the Wheel of Power is a lively middle-grade superhero adventure centered on Mo Fitzroy, a thirteen-year-old whose body has been frozen at twelve by experimental nanotechnology. Now operating secretly as the superpowered Condor Kid, Mo can fly, move at incredible speed, and communicate with Charlie, a genetically enhanced California condor. His first official mission sends him after a group of missing boys, with an unexpected recruit serving as bait: Mason Rizzo, the athletic bully who once made Mo’s life miserable. Their investigation leads to Pleasure Island, a hidden facility where energetic boys generate electricity through exercise and competition.
Mo’s first-person narration gives the story its distinct personality. He’s smart, impulsive, insecure, funny, and sharply aware of how others see him, especially when it comes to his height and prominent nose. His rapid-fire commentary keeps the action buoyant, whether he’s holding up a collapsing Ferris wheel, rescuing a child from a fire, or worrying about how ridiculous his costume looks. Bowler also understands that superheroics are more interesting when they complicate ordinary life. Mo enjoys saving people, but he struggles with secrecy, sudden fame, friendship, and the possibility that he may never physically grow older.
The relationship between Mo and Mason provides the book’s strongest emotional thread. Mason’s arrogance and bullying gradually come into focus as products of humiliation, neglect, and a desperate need to feel capable. Mo’s response to him involves anger, envy, empathy, and eventually accountability on both sides. The Pleasure Island plot expands those concerns into a wider discussion of children who feel unwanted by schools and families. That theme is stated frequently and sometimes at length, but it’s grounded in specific boys with believable frustrations. The story becomes considerably darker once the apparent refuge reveals its hidden human cost, giving the climactic rescue real weight.
I’d recommend this book to readers around ages nine to fourteen who enjoy young heroes, secret identities, gadget-filled missions, animal companions, and plenty of physical action. It should especially connect with energetic or neurodivergent kids who’ve felt judged for the way they learn, move, or communicate. Readers already familiar with the first Muppit Boy adventure will have the most context, though Mo’s explanations make this installment accessible on its own. Beneath the flying, villains, and enormous human-powered wheel, this is a warm story about finding useful ways to be strong and extending grace to people who are still learning how to use their own strength.
Pages: 201 | ASIN : B0HDSS7BKP
