“Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York City” by Aleesah Darlison is the kind of book that makes parents roll their eyes even as their kids devour it with delight.
This is a very silly book – deliberately so. My Miss Ten could be heard laughing like a loon regularly while reading it.
Romeo Fortez is the cutest sloth ever, but his superpowers go beyond that. He’s fast. And not just sloth fast: everyone fast! Born on a remote island, Romeo moves to New York to fulfil his superhero destiny.
Here he finds that a geneticist with no morals or sense has spliced a shark and a wolf together (the shar-wolf of the title) and unleashed it on the city. Romeo forms a team with other would-be crime fighters to save the day. If he can…
Does this book make even the tiniest bit of sense? Nope. Is the worldbuilding coherent and believable? Nope. Is any of the action credible? Nope. Does any of that matter? Nope, nope, and nope again.
This gloriously ridiculous book is filled with talking animals, unbelievable gadgets, mad scientists, and poo and fart jokes. Kids will LOVE it.
Let’s turn to my Miss Ten, who’s probably at the upper end of the “suitable age” spectrum for this book, but who loves sloths.
“This is so silly but so much fun. I loved the inappropriate humor like the jokes about George’s farts. Romeo is such a great character and he’s SO CUTE! I want to meet him. The story is exciting and moves fast. The only problem is that it ends on a cliffhanger and now I want the next one.”
This is a short book, and considering that with the language and subject matter, I’d say it would best suit those under ten – perhaps a little older if they’re reluctant readers. It would suit both independent readers or being read aloud.
This book is unlikely to teach your kids anything. It’s also not a literary classic by any means. But it’s well written, very well structured for the intended age group, and achieves pretty much what it sets out to. Few parents will be concerned about or offended by anything in the novel (yes, even the fart jokes).
This book is straightforward entertainment, intended to be funny and silly with maybe a touch of action and excitement. Kids will really enjoy it, and parents will find it harmless. It’s a really good book for the age group.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York City by Aleesah Darlison. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
I’ve loved books for as long as I can remember, and I love sharing that joy.
I’ve been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, across all genres. There’s not much I won’t at least try. I’ve been an enthusiastic book reviewer for years. I particularly enjoy discovering writers new to me, and sharing good writing with others.
My career has included time spent writing and editing technical documents, but it’s fiction that really moves me. I’ve reviewed for a number of different outlets over the years, and have been a judge in literary competitions.
I’m now raising little bookworms of my own, which brings a whole new kind of joy to sharing books.
More of my reviews can be found on my review blog www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog .
Romeo, a Pygmy sloth is born into the world on Escudo Island as mystical events take place making him a very special super sloth! He moves to New York where all sorts of adventures take place as he and his team of crime fighters try to save New York from a mutant creature and the evil Professor.
This is a wonderful entertaining book for young readers. It is fast paced easy to read adventure book for 7-10 year olds. The chapters are short and the illustrations throughout the book add to the charm of the story. My great niece enjoyed reading it with me and laughed at the adventures of Romeo and his friends. She is very much looking forward to the next episode.
Such a fun a quirky read for our young readers.
My daughter teaches Grade 6 and she was very keen to take this book to try and encourage kids in her class this year to read.
I think this is something a little different that kids would enjoy and its awesome that if they love this book they can there try the books in the series.
Super Sloth is a funny, super easy read. My 5 and 8 year old had many chuckles throughout their night time reads.
Mr 8 took turns with me to read a few pages and found it easy to read for his age.
The only complaint is ‘more pictures would be good’.
Thank for for the funny read!
5/5 stars from us!
Romeo, a sloth with more energy than his birthplace of Escudo Island can contain, moves to New York city when he hears it’s the city that ‘never sleeps’. He thinks it’ll suit him just fine, given his slothfulness isn’t really very slothful and he doesn’t really sloth around like all the other sloths.
The absolute drama he finds in the city is utterly mad! He teams up with three other heroes when he runs foul of a half shark/half wolf. His new friends are a cheetah called Tulip Goldenclaw, a girl called Beth Castlemaine and a pig called Hamilton Porker (known as Ham). Together this intrepid team live in a bunker under the graveyard and save the city, on regular occasions, from evil villains. Like the mad geneticist Professor Ian Weird-Warp, who created the shar-wolf.
The whole thing is mad, daft fun. There’s a few fart jokes that kids will love, and ridiculous scenarios they’ll find hysterical. I confess I laughed a lot, too, and wished they had books around like this when I was a kid. The pictures were fab. The good news is that this is obviously Book 1 of a series, with more to come.
Verdict: great fun for the young readers you know, especially when Romeo becomes Super Sloth, with a costume and all.
Thanks to Beauty&Lace and Big Sky Publishing for the review copy.
Meet Romeo Fortez, a unique pygmy sloth with incredible speed and strength. Tired of island life, Romeo ventures to New York, where he encounters a giant shark wolf causing chaos. Joining forces with a quirky crime-fighting crew—Beth, Ham, and Tulip—they investigate Weird-Warp Industries and track the mysterious shark wolf.
Packed with high-tech gadgets, fast cars, and unexpected twists, “Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York City” by Aleesah Darlison is a thrilling start to a junior fiction series. With funky black and white illustrations by Cheri Hughes, this action-packed adventure subtly introduces genetics and science, making it a captivating read for young mystery enthusiasts.
Get ready for a fun and engaging ride!
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity for Miss 11 to read “Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York”.
Miss 11 loved the animals and humans working together to solve crime and mysteries. The text is big and the storyline fast paced, along with awesome black graphics, this book is fun and quirky! Miss 11 especially liked the twists and turns, alongside the characters ( big Sloth fan) and gives this fun novel a 5/5!
Thank you Beauty and Lace for giving me the opportunity to read and review “Super Sloth Episode 1: The Shar-Wolf of New York”. What a fun book for kids to read. Easy pace and an interesting story with great picture’s throughout. I think they have placed this book to the right age group. I have passed this onto my niece to add to her reading collection.
A thrilling book with a surprise at the end . Mr 10 loved reading this quirky book with fun characters and amazing graphics.
Its a great novel for kids who love reading action novels with lots of twists and turns.
So many wonderful reviews, thanks so much everyone. I’m over the moon that you enjoyed Super Sloth.
Kind regards
Aleesah Darlison
(author of the Super Sloth Series)