Iggy Loomis, Superkid in Training

A frazzled boy named Daniel and his wildly energetic younger brother, Iggy, get mixed up in intergalactic shenanigans in this series opener from Allison (the Gilda Joyce, Private Investigator books). It all starts when Daniel befriends Alistair, the odd new kid next door, who has an extensive insect collection and whose spacecraft models actually fly. After Iggy eats bugs from Alistair’s collection, the tyke wakes up with insect-based superpowers, and Alistair reveals that he and his family are actually aliens studying the best ways to grow broccoli, a vital crop on their planet. A quick trip to Alistair’s spaceship confirms that Iggy’s powers can be subdued with a pacifier “made with the most advanced Blaronite technology,” but they may manifest in moments of stress. And so they do when neighborhood kid Chauncey makes trouble. Allison creates a comically put-upon older brother in Daniel in a lighthearted story that captures the chaos of everyday family life, superpowers or not. Moran’s spot illustrations and comics sequences (not seen in final form) appear throughout. Ages 7–9. Author’s agent: Douglas Stewart, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Sept.)