Nick Townley has lived his entire life—all eleven years—at Black Butte Ranch, nestled in the foothills of the snow-capped Cascade Mountains. While his parents push him to study, practice sports, and make friends, Nick prefers to retreat into his superhero universe and create exciting Adventures of Click comics. When a string of robberies threatens Dad’s job, forcing them to move across the country, Nick’s world implodes. He loves his home, and what will he do about the $237,000 in cash under his bed that Great Gramp gave him before he died? Desperate to stop the move, Nick steps off his comic book pages and ventures into the night as Click, an undercover superhero. Catching thieves would be a lot easier if he had actual superpowers. When three new kids discover his identity and want to join him, Nick vows to stay undercover…until he realizes even a superhero needs friends. But can he ask them to put their lives in danger to save his home? What would Click do?
Praise for Just Like Click
“In a summer filled with mysteries, comics, friendships and midnight rescue missions, Nick learns that sometimes a superhero has to save himself. Engaging debut!”
—Kirby Larson, author of Newbery Honor Book, Hattie Big Sky, and the Dogs of WWII series
“It’s a bird! It’s a plane…it’s Click, the undercover superhero of Black Butte Ranch! Even though he can’t fly, Nick fights for truth and justice with the only superpowers he has—his friends and his heart.”
—Jody J. Little, author of Mostly the Honest Truth and Worse Than Weird
“With the perfect blend of comics and adventure, Nick shows it's not tights or capes that make a superhero, but friends who believe in you.”
—Sarvinder Naberhaus, award winning author of Blue Sky White Stars
“In this humorous and heart-warming story of a boy who wishes he were someone else, Sandy Grubb deftly captures the pangs and pitfalls of early adolescence exacerbated by the complications of a family in transition. Still grieving the loss and companionship of his great-grandfather, Nick struggles to fit in with the cool kids at Black Butte Ranch and live up to his dad’s desire for him to be the best athlete. If only he could be as colorful and powerful as the Click superhero comics he’s created! The author paces the tension well as we hang on every choice that Nick makes when he swoops in to save the lives of others even as his own life seeps slowly into a black hole. With a cast of endearing characters of all ages and a setting rich with beauty and danger, Sandy Grubb has crafted a story that middle-grade kids will relate to and remember.”
—Kimberly Behre Kenna, author of Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade and Jett Jamison and the Secret Storm
