Freddie Ramos Takes Off

By David O'Connell and Miguel Benítez

One day Freddie Ramos comes home from school and finds a strange box just for him. What’s inside? ZAPATO POWER—shoes that change Freddie’s life by giving him super speed! But what will Freddie do with his fast new skills? Weird things are happening at the Starwood Park Apartments where he lives, and his friends at school need his help. Is Freddie Ramos ready to be a hero? In this imaginative new story by Jacqueline Jules, an ordinary boy in a city neighborhood learns how to use his newfound powers for good. Illustrations by Miguel Benitez lend just a touch of comic-book style to this chapter book adventure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Albert Whitman Company
• Release date: Dec 24, 2013
• ISBN: 9781480461994

David O'Connell

David O’Connell is a writer and illustrator living in London, UK. His favourite things to draw are monsters, naughty children (another type of monster), batty old ladies and evil cats!

Reviews for Freddie Ramos Takes Off

[jennk-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like this story. My favorite element is that this book represents a character of color without enmeshing that character in race related situations. He's a modern kid who finds a pair of shoes that allow him to run super fast.

My only problem with this book is that the character talks about money too often. It seemed like every other page there was a comment about bills or money. I understand this is a part of children's lives and is supposed to help them relate to the character, but it felt like overkill.

Freddie is a good character that children of all colors can relate to. It's suggested for children from 4-8 years old, but is a step above beginner books. This would be a great transition into chapter books.

[kdf_333_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

this is a cute lil chapter book. it's a great way to introduce chapter books to elementary readers. it still has illustrations that ca help explain the story. also like the mystery aspect of the story. and there were was mention of military life and not lying to parents and how important school is and some other themes as well. all packed into a lil book.

[thach_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Characters: FreddySetting: At school and around neighborhood in inner cities. Theme: Anyone can be a heroGenre: multicultural development Summary: This story is about a boy who stumbles into a box, but little did he know that when he opened the box, there would be a pair of shoes that would change his life. His life is now changed from being an ordinary kid to being a kids with super powers of being extremely fast. His curiosity and adventurous personality sends him into many duties.Audience: children learning about multiculturalism. Curriculum ties: Learning about language and multiculturalism Personal response: I think it great and important that children are exposed to see many different cultures and ethnicities. I think that this book does a great job as presenting how a child who is different takes up a huge role and conquers his role. First of all, the art and the length of the book helps young readers to easily go through the pages and enjoy the art. The art is colorful and is engaging to look at. What is interesting is that it brings up the death of the father and how the child lives in a single parent home. This idea really helps those kids who have this kind of living situation cope with what they are going through and have something they can relate to. IT also gets children exposed to the chapter book tpe of reading. Overall, this book is great for young children who are learning about the different adventures they can experience.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great to see a story with a young Latino superhero. Freddy Ramos is an appealing character.