Captain Awesome Takes Flight

Stan Kirby's Captain Awesome Takes Flight is a giggly holiday story for 5 year olds about a boy on his very first trip to the airport.

What happens

It's the last day of school and Eugene's best friends are both off to camp. Sally and Charlie are going for the same month! That leaves Captain Awesome guarding Sunnyview all on his own.

Then Mum and Dad drop the big news. The family is flying off on holiday first thing in the morning. Eugene has never been on a plane and he's so excited he forgets to ask where they're going (that's a surprise anyway).

The airport is where it gets VERY silly. To Eugene every normal bit of it looks like a villain's trap. The X-ray machine might suck the power out of his superhero suit. The moving walkway is a Robotic Black Hole Transporter (until he has a go and won't get off).

At security a guard opens his suitcase with his Captain Awesome suit sitting right on top. Is his secret identity about to be blown? Not quite. A stray pair of pants saves the day!

And then there's the flight attendant. She giggles when he tumbles into the boot of the car. She takes the last slice of pepperoni pizza. Then she's the one who announces their flight is an hour late. So Eugene decides she must be the Fun E. Racer, a villain out to ruin everybody's holidays.

Is he right? Your reader will probably have their own ideas long before Eugene does.

It's like hearing Eugene think out loud. His battle plan involves a poodle, a hat, somebody's shoe and a handful of mustard packets. It's dropped the second Dad offers him sour gummy worms (even superheroes need snacks).

Sound effects like UNZIP! and SHOCK! come in capitals and they're great fun to read out loud. And if your reader has a first flight coming up, this could be a nice way to talk through the airport too.

This is the nineteenth Captain Awesome book. Super Dude and the Squad get explained all over again at the start, so it works fine on its own. Being American, it's vacation, Mom and baby Molly's diapers.

What to read next

If they'd like another summer with Eugene, this time with Charlie and Sally along for the ride, try Captain Awesome Goes to Superhero Camp. There are capes everywhere, flying lessons on a zip line and a bunk-bed thief who loves Super Dude just as much as Eugene does.