Power Pup by Amanda Trumpower — Superhero Dog Books for Kids
What if your new best friend had a secret identity?
What if your job was to report the truth, but what you uncovered could shake the whole city?
What if chaos wasn’t an accident—but someone’s evil plan?
Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast—where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys.
Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.
Our guest author today is Amanda Trumpower. Amanda writes for Jesus lovers who dig dragons, detectives, and droids. She’s the author of the Collar Cases series and the Power Pup series, which both take place in the Collar Cases Universe. Amanda also cohosts the Icecream with Authors podcast.
Back Cover of Power Pup 1, Power Pup vs Tommy Trigger Finger
Superheroes Swoop Into Bowwow!
For investigative journalist Alex Digger, reporting truth and busting bad guys with best friend Mittens Meow is just an ordinary Monday.
Turns out, this Monday is anything but ordinary.
When an earthquake threatens the citizens of Bowwow, a superhero calling himself Power Pup swoops in to save the day!
But the town’s troubles don’t stop with the tremors. Ordinary citizens are breaking out in wild, angry, public outbursts. Local police are baffled. Businesses fear opening their doors.
Can Alex, Mittens, and Power Pup use their super teamwork to discover what’s going on and save the city from chaos?
Explore themes of courage, heroism, and strength with theme verses taken straight from the Bible. Each Power Pup adventure comes with a short devotion so your family can laugh and grow together.
Appeal to Boys
- The story moves fast with daring rescues, supervillains, and constant shenanigans.
- The mix of superhero action and mystery solving keeps readers curious.
- The humor is clean and goofy, especially through Alex’s snack-loving chaos.
- The chapters are short and exciting, so it feels challenging without feeling childish.
Key Themes
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The characters learn to ask God for courage when they feel afraid.
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Power and talents are used to protect others and serve, not to show off.
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Telling the truth matters more than being popular or comfortable.
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Friends work with humility and teamwork instead of chasing glory.
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW
Power Pup – Superhero Dog Books for Kids 8-10
I am so excited for Amanda to be on the show today. Amanda is part of my writer’s critique group and also a very dear friend, so it’s really fun to talk with her today. Amanda, let’s jump in. Would you tell us about the Powerpup series? We’re going to focus on Powerpup today, and we’ll talk a little later about the Collar Cases series. Tell us about Powerpup.
Amanda Trumpower:
Powerpup is a funny superhero series for kids approximately 8–12, maybe up to 13. It follows two best friends, Alex and Mittens, who are investigative reporters with a side hobby of solving crimes. One day a new rookie journalist is assigned to their team. His name is Calvin Quinn, and he and Alex quickly become best friends. They love snacks, video games, and all sorts of nerdy things, and they click immediately.
Within the first couple of chapters of book one, Alex learns there’s more to his friend than he thought. It’s not a spoiler—that’s the whole point at the beginning of the first book. Calvin Quinn is secretly a superhero known as Powerpup. He’s new in town, saving people from natural disasters and bad guys, and they have to work together to thwart the gangster bringing danger to the streets of Catburg City.
Laurie Christine:
I love Amanda’s books. I’ve had a front-row seat to many of them over the past several years in her critique group, so I get a behind-the-scenes peek. They’re so much fun. I love the characters. They’re funny and clean. Amanda is great at writing adventure and humor.
One thing I like is that they’re great for both young readers who are advanced—they’re not quite ready for older middle grade, but they need a challenge—and for older readers who may have some challenges or are more reluctant and need something a little simpler without feeling “baby-ish.” The content isn’t dumbed down. You meet both needs in your books, and I love that.
Amanda Trumpower:
Thank you. That’s by design. I can remember being a young, strong reader. I come from a homeschool background, and my mom was an excellent teacher. I didn’t need the little See-Spot-Run books anymore, but I was still young and didn’t need some of the mature content that comes with older reading levels. When it was time to write for kids, I wanted to sit in the middle—where you’re an independent reader, but you aren’t necessarily interested in super long books (at least not always), and you or your parents aren’t interested in content that pushes limits from a lifestyle point of view.
Laurie Christine:
How do your books appeal specifically to boys? What themes or topics would boys love?
Amanda Trumpower:
Declaring yourself a “boy-friendly” author is risky because that’s a difficult bar and depends on the specific reader. I always tell parents I write these to make your boys laugh, and you can tell me if I succeeded.
What I do on my side: I describe the books to kids as “a cartoon you read.” I want a high level of action and energy—not necessarily punching on every page (though that happens sometimes), but an exciting, energetic pace no matter what the characters are doing. I also try to keep it funny and a little silly. Alex gives me a lot of opportunities for humor because he’s hyper, messy, loves snacks, and is easily distracted. He’s not a put-together, serious-minded adult; he’s in the headspace of the eight-to-twelve-year-old boys who might be reading.
I also like the word “shenanigans” more than “action-adventure,” because shenanigans signals this is supposed to be funny in addition to doing something cool. Those are key ingredients I try to bring to the table.
Laurie Christine:
There are so many ingredients attractive to boys—superheroes, solving mysteries, fast-moving plots that keep attention. You have both male and female points of view. There’s no romance. They’re clean, fun stories. You also tie in spiritual truths. It’s not just fun for the sake of fun. How will the Powerpup books help our boys be strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God?
Amanda Trumpower:
That question is especially fun for Powerpup because it more specifically speaks to courage. In all my kids’ books, goal one is to tell a good story that makes them laugh. Goal two is to bring in spiritual and biblical concepts. I don’t want kids to feel like I’m preaching or that the point of the book is to teach them something. I’m mostly here as an entertainer.
But organically, through Calvin’s journey learning to be a superhero and to rise to the occasion and save people from supervillains, he works through themes of courage quite often—especially in Powerpup #3. Calvin has a big fear of sharks, and the supervillain runs an underwater lair off the coast of Hawaii with sharks involved in his plan. Calvin prays and asks God for courage and bravery to get in there, do the job, and save the people who need his help.
Laurie Christine:
I love that. In addition to themes organically tied into the story, there’s also a devotion at the end of the book. Tell us about those.
Amanda Trumpower:
Each book has a theme Bible verse. So far, they’re all related to courage. I didn’t set out to make that the plan—it just happened. I also invite a guest author—usually a Christian middle-grade/chapter-book author—to write a devotion that more overtly unpacks the spiritual themes. I don’t want to preach a sermon in the story, but in the back, we spend a couple of pages directly addressing the spiritual content that’s in the book.
Laurie Christine:
I had the privilege of writing one of those devotions for one of the Collar Cases books—The Case of the Stolen Scarab. You can find my devotion at the end of that book. I’ll have a link in the show notes.
What books would you say are similar to yours? If someone loves a certain series or type of book, when would they definitely love Powerpup?
Amanda Trumpower:
In terms of reading level in the Christian children’s fiction space, Imagination Station (and, in a different vein, Trunk of Scrolls) come to mind. Genres differ, but in reading level, length, and child interest, I aspire to be similar.
For content, the best match I can think of is the Launched series by Jason Joyner. It’s technically YA—one age bracket older than mine—but we share the superhero connection. His premise is a group of teenagers who, through interesting events, gain superpowers and must learn to work together to fight an evil billionaire. It’s a great series. Technically, my characters would be considered adults—even if Alex doesn’t act like one.
Laurie Christine:
Speaking of other series, tell us about Collar Cases and how it connects with Powerpup.
Amanda Trumpower:
Collar Cases Mysteries are the foundation of the Collar Cases universe. They came first. In that series, you’ll find Alex and Mittens—the original best-friend investigative reporters solving mysteries. Sometimes they’re joined by Mittens’ nieces, a gaggle of kittens who cause all sorts of problems. The core focus is Alex and Mittens as best friends solving mysteries.
After Collar Cases IV, Powerpup One slots in—Calvin arrives. In Collar Cases V and beyond, Calvin lives in town and works with them, but he’s not part of the Collar Cases plots. He’s off doing something else while Alex and Mittens have their adventure of the day.
Laurie Christine:
If you love mysteries, read Collar Cases. If you love superhero adventure, go with Powerpup. Powerpup includes some mystery, too—superhero cases to solve. Where can listeners find these books?
Amanda Trumpower:
The best place is my website: amandatrumpower.com—T-R-U-M-P-O-W-E-R.
Laurie Christine:
I’ll have a link in the show notes. You also have some free things on your website—free books and more. Tell us what readers can get for free.
Amanda Trumpower:
I offer the first audiobook in both Powerpup One and Collar Cases One completely free—full-length audiobooks. I didn’t narrate them (which is a good thing). They were professionally narrated by the amazing Trista Shay. You can also get the two ebooks for free. I like having first-in-series free for parents so they can see what’s going on and whether it’s a good fit for their family before spending any money.
Laurie Christine:
Great. I’ll make sure there’s a link to those in the show notes. I’m going to read the back cover of the first Powerpup book and a couple of Amazon reviews so you get a feel for it.
Superheroes Swoop into Bow Wow.
For investigative journalist Alex Digger, reporting truth and busting bad guys with best friend Mittens Meow is just an ordinary Monday. Turns out this Monday is anything but ordinary. When an earthquake threatens the citizens of Bow Wow, a superhero calling himself Powerpup swoops in to save the day. But the town’s troubles don’t stop with the tremors. Ordinary citizens are breaking out in wild, angry public outbursts. Local police are baffled. Businesses fear opening their doors. Can Alex, Mittens, and Powerpup use their super teamwork to discover what’s going on and save the city from chaos?
These family-friendly Christian superhero adventures are written for middle-grade readers ages 7–12. Explore themes of courage, heroism, and strength with theme verses taken straight from the Bible. Each Powerpup adventure comes with a short devotion so your family can laugh and grow together.
One reviewer said: “What a fun superhero book. I am always thrilled to come across well-written Christian middle grade that offers a great story first and foremost and then has Christian values woven naturally throughout.” Another reviewer said: “Very entertaining story—full of fun, lighthearted humor and great action. Great for young readers. Highly recommend.”
Be sure to check out Powerpup and Collar Cases at amandatrumpower.com.
Before we go, I have one last question. I know you are a mom of twins—one boy and one girl—so tell us: you know there are boys living in your house if…
Amanda Trumpower:
…you have to say things like, “Please don’t lick the toilet.”
Laurie Christine:
Have you actually said that to your son?
Amanda Trumpower:
I have. Admittedly, he was young—about two—but I’ve never had to tell my daughter that, even when she was two.
Laurie Christine:
For sure. Amanda, it has been so fun talking with you. We appreciate having you on the show today. Thanks for coming on.
Amanda Trumpower:
Thank you for having me.
