Memory Superpowers!: An Adventurous Guide to Remembering What You Don’t Want To Forget

Gr 4-7–Dellis, a four-time United States Memory Champion and a Grandmaster of Memory, offers a resource to teach children the memory tricks and practices that have brought him success. Readers are taken on an illustrated fictional adventure through different lands to try to catch a “memory thief.” Each location provides a new way to memorize and remember. The book’s guide, a blue elephant, is certain readers can assist with his quest and regain the lost memories. This nonfiction guide is disguised as fiction, which makes it more likely to be picked up by a younger audience. Mnemonics, memory palaces, and word associations result in a toolbox of techniques. Stilwell’s illustrations are whimsical. However, some middle school readers may not be interested in the subject matter or its cartoon-style artwork. Readers likely to need a book like this might be turned off by the format and overall presentation.