Review by Emma Wu
Orca Book Publishers, February 2022
112 pages. Paperback. CAN $10.95. 9781459832916
Middle Grade, Ages 9-12
Action/Adventure
‘Jennifer!’ Noah called from across the street. ‘Wait up! I have to talk to you.’
He started to run across the road. He didn’t see the black car headed right for him. The driver was looking at the phone propped up against her steering wheel. ‘Watch out!’ I screamed.
Noah stopped right in the path of the oncoming car. He froze. The car kept coming. I had to do something.
I shoved my hands toward Noah as I focused all my energy into one thought. Push.
His body flew back just as the black car screeched to a stop. If I hadn’t pushed Noah out of the way, the driver would have plotted right into him. Noah, now on the ground, looked around, confused. Then he stared at me, a question in his eyes.
As kids, wasn’t it a wish of all of ours to have superpowers? For Jennifer Mah in Willpower by Marty Chan, this wish is a reality. However, although she has the extraordinary power to move things with her mind, she still faces challenges.
In this middle-grade novel, real-world issues such as poverty and bullying are explored in a kid-friendly manner. Right off the bat, we are introduced to the main character, Jennifer Mah, and her father. Jennifer is grappling with the loss of her mother who died while helping her family escape the evil Dr. Lansing. Dr. Lansing is the main antagonist of the story, with the goal of taking advantage of Jennifer’s powers. To avoid being caught by Dr. Lansing, Jennifer and her father live by going from motel to motel, occasionally sleeping in their old car. When they are tight on money, they often go to casinos, where Jennifer manipulates games so they can earn some extra cash. On top of all this, Jennifer is bullied at school due to being poor. Although Chan doesn’t go into too much depth about these issues, they are explained in such a way that young readers can grasp the severity of the situation without it going over their heads.
The dynamic between the father and daughter is heartfelt and realistic. Although the good moments between Jennifer and her father greatly outweigh the bad, this book reveals relationships aren’t always perfect. Even when their circumstances aren’t ideal, Jennifer still expresses her love for her dad, an important element of hope in a novel which deals with such heavy topics.
While I enjoyed Jennifer’s character her age and grade goes unmentioned, making it difficult to visualize her character. I presumed that she is either in middle school or high school, especially since she gets into a casino with a fake ID that claims she is 21. I also felt as though Jennifer’s character arc could have been stronger, since other characters like Jennifer’s dad as well as Noah—Jennifer’s bully—experienced more growth by the end of the novel. However, these critiques were not big obstructions to my enjoyment of the novel. The chapters held just the right amount of information, the font size made Willpower easy to read, and the dialogue felt realistic. Overall, each character was distinct, and their motivations clear, making this novel fast paced and easy to understand.
I have always enjoyed characters with special talents and abilities. Jennifer reminded me of Barry Allen from The Flash: Hocus Pocus by Barry Lyga, as she has a similar mindset with her powers by saving her loved ones all while keeping her identity safe. Jennifer’s backstory with losing her mother also aligns with the common theme in “superhero” stories: the protagonist has tragic beginning, often involving the loss of a parent.
Overall, Marty Chan’s Willpower was a very fun and engaging read. I was immersed throughout the novel, and it was easy to understand. Jennifer’s character was intriguing and the ending left me content.
My name is Emma Wu and I am a second year arts student at UBC. I was born and raised in Vancouver and love the atmosphere here at UBC. I have loved reading since I was very young and I am interested in potentially having a career in writing in the future.
YOUNG ADULTING 