Sensing that something has gone awry in the life of Joan, the flame-haired woman at the end of the street, he gives her an important questionnaire on one of his nightly escapades. When it’s confirmed that she is, indeed, another citizen in need of his care, he sets out to find a solution, which in this case is the delicate task of bringing happiness to an unhappy woman – a job quite outside his normal areas of expertise. But the Masked Avenger – who, in reality, is a child trying to make things right in an adult’s world – soon learns that, when serving the community and its people, even heroes can make mistakes.

This book primarily concerns truth and honesty. The delightful, faux-dramatic tone, which conjures up memories of old television cartoons about superheroes, marries well with the language of the story, which is largely told from the point of view of a young child who imagines that his true identity is not that of an ordinary schoolboy. (And what child wouldn’t want his bedroom to be a ‘secret lair’ or his dog a ‘loyal crime-fighting comrade’ who eats ‘chicken-flavoured energy units’?)

Originally published in Australia’s Get Reading! promotional book 10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2010,this story was subsequently adapted for the stage in 2011. As a stand-alone book, it is beautifully presented: the wonderful image- and text-based collages by Sonia Martinez that are littered throughout the book are worth poring over (and are themselves indeed sometimes an integral part of the story), and her film noir-style cover perfectly captures the mood of the Masked Avenger’s world. However, I was left wanting more. While the story itself felt neat and complete, I felt there was scope for further tales from the other life of this innocent but genuine character.

While the Masked Avenger seeks out adventure, twins Lexi and Al literally fall into adventure (along with their sidekick Doug the rat) in Word Hunters: The Curious Dictionary, after discovering an old dictionary in the school library. They find themselves thrust back through time and space, arriving in Menlo Park, New Jersey, 1877. An addressed package leads them to Thomas Edison’s office where they overhear him discussing using ‘hello’ as a greeting to answer the phone. It is not long before they fall through another portal and to another point in history connected with the word ‘hello’. With only each other to rely upon, history nerd Al and no-nonsense Lexi must find a way home. Soon after they arrive back in the twenty-first century, the twins’ curiosity wins out and they are whipped back to the past and through various historical events that touch on the origins of words.

Despite a seemingly action-packed plot, this novel took time to pick up pace, with the first third featuring clumsy exposition in the form of dialogue between the twins as they attempt to figure out what is going on. Although they are constantly in ‘danger’ (and even in battle), they manage to escape from each brief foray into history with nothing more serious than an arm injury, and there is never any real sense of threat or concern that they will not make it home. The brevity of each episode as the characters flit from place to place also resulted in a lost opportunity to create a vivid picture of each point in history.

The fluid, dream-like line illustrations provide a nice counterpoint to the wordy text, and convey a surreal mood as the twins slip from one event to another. The premise of the story is undoubtedly appealing: this is a book about a book that doesn’t behave like a book, but rather unlocks the secrets of the past. It is a nice idea, especially for keen young readers on the verge of discovering what real books can allow you to do. For those with any interest in history or the origin of words, it could prove a great taster for further reading. There is also humour and mystery, with the conclusion of the book setting up what will surely be the focus of the next book in Nick Earls and Terry Whidborne’s trilogy. As a book about fitting together connections in history, readers will enjoy locking pieces of this puzzle into place.