Ever since the Victorians invented childhood we have considered hero stories appropriate fare for the young. Previous generations were likely to be given Robin Hood; we’re more likely to serve up Rick Hansen. But the impulse is unchanging, the twin goals of instruction and delight being served by stories of heroism. Superkids: Young Heroes in Action, a collection of a dozen vignettes of real-life contemporary children who perform heroic deeds, falls comfortably into this tradition. The delight comes from the tight structure of the hero story with its action-filled plot and satisfying conclusion. The instruction comes from the examples of bravery and selflessness that we hope will inspire the young to goodness. These are remarkable stories – a couple of pals who rescue two children from a burning house, an 11-year-old girl who intervenes between her grandmother and a scissors-wielding assailant. Author Leslie Garrett provides a carefully chosen range of heroes, including not just acts of physical bravery but those of social responsibility and activism. The style is journalistic and an introduction by Eric Wilson suggests that the publisher is targeting the ever-challenging audience of reluctant readers. But given these constraints, Garrett does a good job of putting the events into context, and of creating real shaped stories.

There are inevitable frustrations. The story of the girl who protected her grandmother contains the poignant line, “It’s hard for Amelia to talk about what happened that summer night.” I was concerned for this child. Hero stories conclude with a sense of triumphant closure but life isn’t that tidy. I also wished for some of the heroes to have more rounded-out tales of ongoing emotional or spiritual bravery, such as when a child has responsibility for a disabled sibling or confronts racism. But perhaps these stories need another format, being too long, too ongoing, and too emotionally complex for such a collection. Superkids will be an engaging read for a wide variety of readers and, supplemented by autobiography, fiction, and folklore, could form part of a powerful study in the classroom.