I bought this book blindly at a Barnes and Noble a while ago expecting a good read (as it sat near two very funny, similar books). As I got to reading it, I found that it was not as good as I had hoped. Imagine having an 11 year old cousin who won't stop talking about stupid ninja daydreams that he had while at school. That's about what we're dealing with here. It was mildly amusing and clever at times, but ultimately left me so disapointed that I threw the book away.

If you are an adult and looking for a good read from the humor section, I'd suggest "The Alphabet of Manliness" (Maddox) or "The Zombie Survival Guide" (Max Brooks). Both are extremely entertaining and a far better way to spend your money.

If ever there was a humorous side to hyper-active, neglected and attention-deficient children, Robert Hamburger has found it! From cover to cover, "The REAL Ultimate Power" is chock full of childish hilarity counter-pointed by a very poignant under-belly displaying a fictional child's attempt to cope with being different and neglected. Yes, it's still HILARIOUS! Hamburger writes this essentially "for Dummies" spoof from the perspective of a learned 10-year-old kid who's inability to deal with his reality (parents he perceives as neglectful, friends who aren't his friends, etc.) leads him to be overly passionate (he calls it "pumped") about ninjas. I couldn't stop laughing! Not only are 99.9% of Robert's views on ninjas completely off-base and unrealistic (ah, childhood!), most times they're crude, disgusting, absurd and hilarious. Did you know that the defining characteristic of a ninja is the ability to "flip out and kill people" without the slightest provocation? Or that a BONER is the ninja's most prized weapon? Or that ninjas can fly? I, for one, was shocked to learn that Benjamin Franklin not only killed a man, but in the same night, laid in "feigned passion" with a sea turtle! These are just a few of Robert's skewed ideas, and they only get worse (or "better" if you're one to appreciate the humor!)
As other reviewers have noted, I believe what really makes this book 'totally sweet' and makes it totally riotous is Hamburger's mastery of the childish language and psyche. He writes just as a hyper-active 10-year-old might speak: a mile a minute with no pause for breath. Hamburger puts 'ands' were you or I might put a 'period.' He occasionally reaches for the "big" words only to pull out something completely wrong! Hamburger writes as a child who has escaped reality into this ideal fantasy about ninjas wherein the real world is reflected off of his fantasy: people whom he likes and behave as he would are considered "totally sweet" with ninja potential and anything/one he doesn't like is, as he puts it several times, "BULLCRAP!"
I don't know what muse possesses someone to write a book like this, but I'm glad it did! When I picture Robert, I picture "Calvin," and ninjas are his "Hobbes." This is one of those books that if taken lightly can make you laugh HARD and you'll be recommending it to anyone with the slightest iota of a funnybone in them.