The planner for school, sport and everything in between.

Always asks why one more time

• Reading maps34
• Maths30
• Cycling with a map24

Power level 29 of 100 · potential 80

Kiko is the first hero of Rookie and the youngest of the Van Dam family, with his mother's orange hair and his grandfather's head for numbers. He cycles everywhere with a map in his hand and knows where every street ends up. Uncle Tim teaches his class; at school Kiko politely calls him sir.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Keeps his collection tidier than his room

• Insects36
• Reading30
• Basketball24

Power level 30 of 100 · potential 84

Taro has a collection of twenty-seven insects in jars, each with a name and a birthday. He wears his mother's glasses and his grandfather's curiosity; grandpa gave him a microscope when he was eight. His big brother Kai teaches him basketball; Taro teaches Kai the names of the beetles on the court.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Sings louder than the headphones

• Singing40
• Arabic and English28
• Maths26

Power level 31 of 100 · potential 86

Nana has been singing since she could talk and wears her pink headphones to hear her brother Jin's music, though she usually sings over it. She speaks two languages at home and learns a third at school. Uncle Kofi is her PE teacher and says she cheers the loudest of everyone, even when her own team is behind.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Remembers every number he ever heard

• Mental arithmetic38
• Flags30
• Reading24

Power level 31 of 100 · potential 87

Yuto knows all the flags of the world and the capitals that go with them, and he calculates faster than the supermarket till. Grandpa De Vries lets him set up the chess pieces and explains every move; Yuto remembers them all. His big brother Noah takes him to the ditch to measure; Yuto writes the numbers down without looking.

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Looks surprised and still gets it first

• Drumming on everything34
• Maths30
• Skateboarding28

Power level 31 of 100 · potential 83

Sem always looks a little surprised, and then it turns out he already gets it. He drums on everything that makes a sound, from the kitchen table to Papa Kenji's bicycle bell, and skates to school with his brother's headphones. Uncle Daan is his teacher in year 5 and gives him exactly as many turns as the rest, not a single one extra.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Dances when there is music, and also when there is not

• Dancing30
• Ren's songs28
• Reading22

Power level 27 of 100 · potential 82

Momo is the youngest Tanaka and dances through the house as soon as Ren plays a chord. She is in year 5 and knows all her brother's songs by heart, including the parts he has not finished yet. Her big sister Mika is writing a story about a dancer; Momo already knows who that is.

The Tanaka family · First a question, then an answer, then dessert.

Builds first, reads the manual later

• Building with blocks36
• Maths32
• Reading28

Power level 32 of 100 · potential 85

Lotte is the youngest Visser and builds everything first, before she reads the manual; usually it works. She has worn glasses since year 2 and her grandfather says they made her smarter, which he cannot prove but does believe. Her big brother Finn and sister Isa let her take something new apart every Saturday.

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Reads aloud with a voice for every character

• Reading aloud with voices86
• Geography and the world72
• Swimming lengths60

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Mr Bram has year 6 and reads aloud for a quarter of an hour every day, with a voice for every character, so the class begs for one more page. He is married to Miss Sanne of year 5; at school they call each other sir and miss. Their daughter Aiko got the reading voices at home and the sums at school.

The De Wit family · A page every day.

Joins every sport as if it were the final

• Football and athletics84
• Understanding people70
• The body54

Power level 69 of 100 · potential 74

Mr Kofi teaches PE and joins in every game himself, in defence, so he does not get in anyone's way. He once ran the 800 metres at a championship and tells that story once every school year. His niece Nana is in his class and his nephew Jin makes the music for sports day.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Teaches every child the times tables in a week

• Times tables76
• Understanding people62
• Hockey58

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 72

Mr Daan has year 5 and a way of teaching the times tables that works so well parents come to ask for the method; it is clapping and stamping. He is Papa Joost's younger brother and has nephew Sem in class. On Wednesdays he coaches youth hockey, with Milan in the first team.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Turns every sum into an adventure

• Maths72
• Geography and the world66
• Ukulele60

Power level 66 of 100 · potential 72

Mr Tim teaches year 6 maths with stories: the seven times table is a pirate ship, fractions are pizzas. He has his nephew Kiko in class and treats him exactly like the others, except on his sister's pancake day. His daughter Mei learned to play the ukulele from him before she could write.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Explains a sum with sweets and then hands them out

• Maths80
• Language and writing76
• Wooden calculator56

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 78

Miss Sanne teaches maths, language and English to years 5 and 6 and explains fractions with liquorice that gets eaten afterwards. Her brother teaches technology in upper secondary; together they built a wooden calculator for the playground. Her daughter Aiko is an Ace and still comes for lunch every Wednesday.

The De Wit family · A page every day.

Crafts with everything others throw away

• Crafting80
• Understanding people72
• Nature in the classroom58

Power level 70 of 100 · potential 76

Miss Mila has year 3 and a cupboard full of empty rolls, caps and fabric, from which the most beautiful things in the school come. From her mother she learned that every child needs something different, and from her husband that you can mix anything. Her daughters Aya and Kana crafted along as toddlers and now build apps and experiments.

The Nguyen family · Mix, stir, taste, again.

Hears from your voice how your day was

• Understanding people74
• Reading aloud66
• Singing in three languages58

Power level 66 of 100 · potential 72

Miss Noor has year 4 and knows how every child's morning at home was before the coats are even on the pegs. She sings the alphabet with the class in three languages and at home she is the calm counterpart of Mr Tim. Their daughter Mei is at university now, but calls every Sunday to tell what she has discovered.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Sees a story in every drawing

• Painting82
• Understanding people68
• Travelling64

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 78

Miss Fatima has year 7 and a classroom that looks like a studio, with work from every child on the wall. She paints a small canvas herself every morning before school, usually a place she once visited. Her sister teaches maths in upper secondary; her daughters Zoë and Rin would rather run than draw, but their trainers are painted.

The Rosa family · There is rhythm in everything, even in a sum.

Builds treehouses that stay up

• Carpentry74
• Running62
• Geography and the world50

Power level 62 of 100 · potential 68

Papa Tom is a carpenter and built the treehouse half the street plays in. He grew up among books and chose wood, because according to him you can live in it better. Every Sunday he runs a lap through the park with Eva; Kiko cycles alongside and counts the ducks, just like grandpa.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Makes a holiday out of every day

• Diner70
• Basketball66
• Igbo and English58

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 74

Papa Jamal has a diner where the whole neighbourhood comes and where something is celebrated every day, even if it is just a good grade. He played basketball until his knee said it was enough and now coaches Kai's team. His father is a professor, his sister a doctor, and he proudly says he is the only one who can cook.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Explains without giving away the answer

• Designing lamps70
• Light62
• Skating54

Power level 62 of 100 · potential 68

Papa Bas designs lamps that give exactly the light a room needs, and he tests them all at home, to the amusement of his three children. From his father he learned to solder, from his children he learned to wait with the answer. In winter he is the first on the ice, with Lotte by the hand.

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Bakes pancakes in animal shapes

• Fixing bikes80
• Cycling60
• Understanding people62

Power level 67 of 100 · potential 74

Papa Kenji repairs bicycles in his own workshop and can tell what every sound a bike makes means. On Saturdays he rides out of the city with Yuki and Kenji, pancakes in the bag. His son got his name and, according to Papa Kenji, his toolbox too.

The Yamada family · Maths is a language anyone can learn.

Pulls the main point out of every story

• Journalism76
• Reading70
• Understanding people64

Power level 70 of 100 · potential 76

Mama Lisa is a journalist and asks the questions at the table nobody expects, so her children learn to explain what they mean. She is the only one in the house without glasses and says that is why she sees everything more sharply. Lotte, Isa and Finn send her their essays before handing them in; she never crosses anything out, she adds a question.

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Draws the solution before she explains it

• Architecture74
• Drawing68
• Turkish and English60

Power level 67 of 100 · potential 74

Mama Esra is an architect and draws houses you never get lost in, because she has a poor sense of direction herself. Her sister teaches history at Kai's school; at family parties they draw old cities together on the tablecloth. Taro has her glasses and her pencils, Kai her way of looking calmly before he says something.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Turns every garden into a jungle

• Gardening72
• Flower arranging60
• Flower shop52

Power level 61 of 100 · potential 70

Mama Fleur has a flower shop and a garden the neighbours need a map for. Her brother Tim teaches Kiko's class; at family parties the two compete over who recognises a plant fastest. Eva and Kiko's orange hair comes from her, as does their patience with everything that grows.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Reads aloud until everyone is asleep

• Reading82
• Language and writing76
• Origami58

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 78

Mama Yui works at the library and brings a new story home every evening, which she reads aloud with a voice for everyone. Yuki got her love of books from her, Kenji her patience. Her father taught her maths, but she chose the stories; according to her they are a kind of sums too.

The Yamada family · Maths is a language anyone can learn.

Hears a song once and plays it back

• Guitar54
• Recording42
• English lyrics36

Power level 44 of 100 · potential 84

Ren is Mika's twin brother and exactly two minutes older, which he mentions every day. With his headphones on he writes songs he only lets his little sister Momo hear. Grandpa Takahashi gave him an old guitar and a question: why does a string sound higher when it is shorter? Ren is still looking for the answer, guitar in hand.

The Tanaka family · First a question, then an answer, then dessert.

Practises until it is right, and then once more

• Violin56
• Maths46
• Drawing in ink42

Power level 48 of 100 · potential 88

Emi has played the violin since she was five and practises every day, even on her birthday, because grandma Novak does too. She chose her violet hair herself, not her glasses, but she wears them with pride. She is determined in everything: sums, drawing and the debate with her brother Sora about how a string sounds.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Keeps a cool head when it gets exciting

• Building things50
• Maths44
• Judo38

Power level 44 of 100 · potential 86

Kenji builds things: a robot arm from ice-lolly sticks, an alarm for his bedroom door, a bicycle bell with two tones. At judo he is the calmest on the mat and that is why he often wins. He is named after his father and secretly takes after his grandfather most: he calculates before he moves.

The Yamada family · Maths is a language anyone can learn.

Knows the words to every English song

• English56
• English songs50
• Hockey40

Power level 49 of 100 · potential 85

Milan is in his uncle's English class and has to try extra hard there, because uncle Clarke is cosier at home than in class. He knows the words to every English song and sings them in the shower, in the singer's English. His little brother Sem takes over his headphones whenever he leaves them lying around, which is often.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Laughs at everything, especially herself

• Gymnastics on the beam52
• Italian44
• Understanding people38

Power level 45 of 100 · potential 84

Sakura does gymnastics every afternoon and laughs the loudest in the whole hall, even when she falls off the beam. Her pink hair is really her own, she says, and her brother Haru draws it in every strip. She is in her father's PE class and only gets a nod from him when it goes well; that is enough.

The Pieters family · You can learn to walk, and to run too.

Wins, and then helps the loser up

• Football, defender54
• Graffiti on paper44
• Portuguese40

Power level 46 of 100 · potential 86

Zoë plays football in the same team as Yamaro and is the only one who can get the ball off him. She draws graffiti on paper, because her mother does not allow walls yet, and speaks Portuguese with her father when the rest need not understand. Her big sister Rin is her hero; she just does not say it out loud.

The Rosa family · There is rhythm in everything, even in a sum.

Tells English jokes and does not translate them

• English86
• Reading74
• Cricket56

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 78

Mr Clarke grew up in Manchester and teaches English with an accent the class picks up after a year. He has his nephew Milan in class and gives him slightly stricter marks, so nobody can say it is family. On Sundays he plays cricket on the only pitch in town, with his sister Ilse as a referee who does not know the rules.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Writes on the window when the board is full

• Mathematics, thirty years90
• Physics76
• Chess60

Power level 75 of 100 · potential 80

Mr De Vries has taught maths for so long that he had the parents of his students as students too. When the board is full, he carries on writing on the window. He plays chess with Prof. Yamada every Thursday, usually loses and writes down every game; his grandson Yuto may set up the pieces.

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Has visited every country he explains

• Geography88
• History66
• Hill walking62

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 78

Mr Bakker teaches geography and has seen almost every country from his lessons himself, with a rucksack and a notebook. He is Mama Nienke's brother and the uncle of Noah and Yuto, whom he takes on a hike every summer with a map and without a phone. His classroom is full of photos, each with a story.

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Runs to school every morning, even in the rain

• Athletics and football86
• Sports biology62
• Running routes58

Power level 69 of 100 · potential 74

Mr Pieters teaches PE and runs twelve kilometres to school every morning, bag on his back and moustache in the wind. He coaches the youth football team where Yamaro and Zoë play and says he has never seen two players do the same thing so differently. At home he is married to a professor who prefers reading to running; they walk together, she with a book.

The Pieters family · You can learn to walk, and to run too.

Finds the most beautiful word in every text

• Dutch84
• Swedish and English66
• Understanding people62

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 80

Mrs Jansen teaches Dutch and underlines the most beautiful word in every text, even in tests. She has Mika in her class and keeps her essays in a separate folder. From her mother she learned that a language is a door; her sister Lindqvist opened it towards psychology.

The Bergström family · A word is a door.

Brings something alive to every lesson

• Biology88
• Geography and the world66
• Understanding people62

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 78

Mrs Osei teaches biology and brings something alive to class every week: a stick insect, a jar of tadpoles, once a chicken. Her older sister Diallo is a professor and says Osei is the better teacher; Osei says Diallo is the better researcher. They are both right and celebrate it every summer in Ghana.

The Osei family · Look at the small things, they are the biggest.

Tells history as if she was there

• History84
• Turkish, English and German70
• Language and writing66

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Mrs Yilmaz teaches history and talks about the Romans as if she had dinner with them yesterday. She speaks three languages fluently and a fourth on holiday. Her sister Esra draws the cities she describes; together they made a map of the old town that now hangs in the school.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Answers in French when you least expect it

• French and English88
• Reading74
• Photographing doors56

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Mrs Dubois teaches French and answers every question in French, even in the supermarket, so her students meet it everywhere. She photographs doors, all over the world, and has two thousand by now. Her son Leo speaks three languages and drums in a fourth.

The Okonkwo family · Speak three languages, listen in four.

Knows where every river goes

• Water and dikes74
• Hydraulic engineering62
• Maths58

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 70

Papa Mark is a hydraulic engineer and builds dikes that stay up, and he takes his sons along to see how high the water is. His father worked out the tides for him as a child; he chose the water itself. On Sundays he rows with Noah; Yuto sits at the back with the stopwatch.

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Shouts loudest from the sideline, only encouragement

• Goalkeeping78
• Own shop62
• Understanding people70

Power level 70 of 100 · potential 76

Papa Omar spent years in goal for the Sunday amateurs and now trains the youngest goalkeepers, with Yamaro as his regular helper. He has his own sports shoe shop and knows every customer by name. When he met the daughter of a maths professor, he learned for the first time what a 45-degree angle has to do with a goal kick.

The Yamada family · Maths is a language anyone can learn.

Trades anything for a good conversation

• English and Spanish72
• Trade64
• Conversations60

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 70

Papa Joost sells coffee to restaurants all over Europe and therefore spends half the day on the phone in languages his sons do not understand. His brother Daan teaches Sem's class; his brother-in-law Clarke teaches Milan English. On Saturdays he stands by the hockey pitch with a thermos for the whole team.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Whistles out-of-tune songs with full conviction

• Cooking70
• Own restaurant58
• Whistling44

Power level 57 of 100 · potential 64

Papa Hiroshi has a small restaurant with eight tables and one rule: everyone gets dessert. He says cooking is chemistry and proves it every evening with rice that sticks exactly right. When he whistles in the kitchen, the whole street knows the soup is ready.

The Tanaka family · First a question, then an answer, then dessert.

Does not read the subtitles, she just hears it

• English and French80
• Reading70
• Piano58

Power level 69 of 100 · potential 76

Mama Ilse is an interpreter and translates meetings while they happen, which her children notice at home when they argue: they get it back in two languages. She grew up with her brother Clarke in a house full of English books. She plays piano when the house is quiet, so almost never, because Milan and Sem both have headphones and no volume knob.

The Hendriks family · Turn on the music and add the language.

Finds the right instrument for every child

• Singing80
• Understanding people72
• Language and writing60

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mama Aisha is a singing teacher and hears in a full classroom which child sings off-key and which child only dares to whisper. She married into the Haddad family and taught her father-in-law a song; he taught her bookkeeping. Her brother Kofi teaches Nana's PE class; her children both wear headphones, for self-protection, they say.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Finds a shorter way on every map

• Routes70
• Logistics62
• Road cycling60

Power level 64 of 100 · potential 70

Mama Nienke plans routes for a transport company and knows every motorway in the country by heart, including the traffic jams. Her brother Bakker teaches geography; she cycles the maps he explains. Noah and Yuto both have her dark hair and her inability to sit still in a car.

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Spots every spelling mistake at a glance

• Translating80
• Japanese and English72
• Maths60

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mama Keiko translates books and spots a spelling mistake from three metres away, even on a menu. She heard her father explain physics at the kitchen table and chose words, because according to her they are even more precise. Her three children each got their own dictionary on their sixth birthday.

The Tanaka family · First a question, then an answer, then dessert.

Only plays the ball when the team is ready

• Basketball64
• Chemistry56
• Understanding people52

Power level 57 of 100 · potential 90

Kai is captain of the basketball team and only becomes truly dangerous when he sees a teammate standing free. His white hair is his own, though nobody believes it, and his calm comes from his mother. On Saturdays he stands in grandpa's lab with purple safety goggles and on Sundays he teaches Taro a lay-up.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Turns every group into a team

• Teamwork60
• Reading56
• Volleyball50

Power level 55 of 100 · potential 87

Aiko is the default hero of Ace and the captain of every group project, even when she has not been asked. She plays volleyball, reads three books at once and grew up in a house with a teacher and a headteacher-to-be, where the playground was never far away. Uncle Smit built her first bookcase; she wrote the titles on it.

The De Wit family · A page every day.

Makes beats from sounds nobody hears

• Making beats66
• Economics54
• Studio50

Power level 57 of 100 · potential 88

Jin makes beats from the sounds around him: the school bell, his mother's coffee machine, his grandfather's calculator. He sells them online and keeps accounts his grandfather has approved. His little sister Nana sings on every track; she gets half, he typed the contract himself.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Dyes her hair the colour of the season

• Athletics66
• Muscles54
• Percussion50

Power level 57 of 100 · potential 89

Rin runs the 400 metres faster than anyone at school and dyes her hair a different colour every season; right now it is blue. She knows exactly which muscles she uses, because she takes biology as seriously as her training. Her father taught her to drum; she uses the rhythm to count her strides.

The Rosa family · There is rhythm in everything, even in a sum.

Gets up before he has fallen

• Judo, brown belt62
• Physics58
• Team spirit50

Power level 57 of 100 · potential 89

Ryu has done judo since he was six and uses physics on the mat: lever, centre of gravity, balance, he knows the words and the throws. He wears his headband in class too, until Mrs Kaya says something about it. His sister Hana looks at the stars; Ryu builds the telescope for it with his mother.

The Janssen family · Ask the night, it knows everything.

Hears music in the sound of water

• Climate60
• Bass guitar56
• Rowing52

Power level 56 of 100 · potential 86

Noah wants to be a climate scientist and therefore measures the temperature of the ditch behind his house, every day for three years now. He rows with his father and plays bass in a band with Jin, who turned his measurements into a beat. Uncle Bakker teaches him geography and in class just calls him Noah, but at home "the professor".

The De Vries family · The shortest way is the way you know.

Mixes colours that do not exist yet

• Chemistry62
• Making paint56
• Vietnamese and English46

Power level 55 of 100 · potential 88

Kana is in her father's chemistry class and makes her own paint at home from plants, chalk and things she is not allowed to name. Her violet hair is an experiment that worked. She speaks Vietnamese with her father and crafts with her mother; her sister Aya built an app that gives her colours a name.

The Nguyen family · Mix, stir, taste, again.

Plans everything, including her breaks

• Physics60
• Photography46
• Skating44

Power level 50 of 100 · potential 89

Isa is in upper secondary with physics as her favourite subject and a planner that is right to the minute. She photographs everything that moves, from droplets to her brother Finn on the drums, and works out how fast it went. Her little sister Lotte is always welcome in the attic lab, as long as she keeps the goggles on.

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Smells which substance is in the test tube

• Chemistry88
• Physics70
• Badminton56

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mr Nguyen teaches chemistry and recognises a substance by its smell, from three desks away, with the door closed. He has his daughter Kana in class and deliberately does not let her sit at the front. On Sundays he plays badminton with Aya, who has been beating him since last year and does not keep quiet about it.

The Nguyen family · Mix, stir, taste, again.

Builds what he explains, on the spot

• Robots86
• Physics70
• Design56

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mr Smit teaches technology and builds what he explains during the lesson, so the classroom is full of half-finished robots. His sister Sanne taught him maths; he taught her to drill. His niece Aiko got her own screwdriver at seven and still uses it.

The De Wit family · A page every day.

Hears the rhythm in a footstep

• Guitar and percussion88
• Portuguese and Spanish66
• Understanding people60

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mr Rosa teaches music and used to play in a band that had one hit, which he never plays. He can tell from the footsteps in the corridor which class is coming. His daughters Rin and Zoë both got an instrument and both chose sport; he says rhythm is rhythm.

The Rosa family · There is rhythm in everything, even in a sum.

Solders with glasses on top of his glasses

• Programming88
• Maths78
• Physics70

Power level 79 of 100 · potential 83

Mr Visser taught computer science for thirty years and still programs a little every evening, usually something his grandchildren thought up. He wears two pairs of glasses, one for reading and one for soldering, and sometimes both. His son Bas, grandson Finn and granddaughters Isa and Lotte all have his glasses and his question: how does that work on the inside?

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Turns every lesson into a negotiation

• Economics82
• Maths70
• Understanding people66

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Mrs Haddad teaches economics in upper secondary and has her class set up their own small business every year, with real profit for the school party. She learned to negotiate at her father's kitchen table. Her nephew Jin and niece Nana get no presents from her but a budget, and they think that is better.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Turns every classroom into an exhibition

• Sculpture86
• Art history66
• Understanding people62

Power level 71 of 100 · potential 76

Mrs Mol teaches arts and has her class set up an exhibition every year that the whole school visits. She sculpts in the shed, with glasses full of dust. Her daughter Emi has her hands, her son Sora her way of looking at a painting: long and quiet.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Writes a page every day, for ten years now

• A page every day88
• History68
• Understanding people62

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 82

Mrs Brouwer teaches Dutch and academic writing and writes a page herself every day, for ten years now, in a notebook nobody may read. She is the eldest daughter of Prof. Van Leeuwen and the sister of Drs. De Jong. With her husband Kuijpers she shares a house full of books and one blueprint: for their garden house, six years and counting.

The Van Leeuwen family · Those who know the past build better.

Finds a shorter route in every sum

• Advanced maths86
• Technology and code64
• Patterns58

Power level 69 of 100 · potential 76

Mrs Kaya teaches advanced maths and has her class solve a problem two ways every week, after which she shows a third. She draws patterns in the margins of everything, a habit from her sister's studio. Her nieces Rin and Zoë come to her for help and leave with a puzzle.

The Rosa family · There is rhythm in everything, even in a sum.

Sets a pendulum swinging with every explanation

• Physics94
• Building instruments88
• Cello84

Power level 89 of 100 · potential 92

Prof. Fischer is a physicist and has a pendulum in his study that has been swinging for thirty years, as soon as someone gives it a push. He plays cello in a quartet with Prof. Novak, his wife, who corrects him when he goes too fast. His grandchildren Sora and Emi inherited his glasses and his question of why things fall.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Laughs loudest at his own failed experiments

• Chemistry95
• Biology86
• Trumpet80

Power level 87 of 100 · potential 90

Prof. Okafor is a chemist and in forty years has seen more experiments fail than succeed, and he prefers to tell about the failed ones. His lab smells of coffee and his lecture starts with a trumpet call, literally, he plays it himself. His grandsons Kai and Taro get safety goggles in a new colour every year.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Looks up every clear night

• Astronomy90
• Maths84
• The earth from outside70

Power level 81 of 100 · potential 86

Prof. Janssen is an astronomer and stands in the garden on every clear night with a telescope, a thermos and at least one child. He is determined in everything except choosing a favourite planet. His daughter Hana named a comet after their cat; his son Ryu works out how long the light took to get here.

The Janssen family · Ask the night, it knows everything.

Calls every plant by its first name

• Botany95
• Geography and the world84
• Botanical drawing80

Power level 86 of 100 · potential 90

Prof. Kimura is a biologist and knows every plant in the city by name, even the weeds between the paving stones. She married Prof. Yamada on the day he promised never to forget to water a plant; he keeps a calculation system for it. Her grandchildren get a seed and an assignment on every birthday.

The Yamada family · Maths is a language anyone can learn.

Knows the maker and the story of every painting

• Art history90
• History84
• Italian and French78

Power level 84 of 100 · potential 88

Prof. Rossi teaches art history and can tell you for any painting who made it, why, and what the painter had eaten that day. She came from Italy for a one-year course and stayed for a PE teacher. Her son Haru draws, her daughter Sakura does gymnastics; she considers both art.

The Pieters family · You can learn to walk, and to run too.

Knows the history of every street

• History94
• Language and writing82
• Geography and the world80

Power level 85 of 100 · potential 88

Prof. Achterberg is a historian and can tell you on any street corner what stood there three hundred years ago. With Dr. Van Dam she shares a house full of books and one debate: whether you can count history. Grandson Kiko gets the stories from her, granddaughter Eva the archives.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Sees under the microscope what others miss

• Microbiology94
• Chemistry80
• Language and writing76

Power level 83 of 100 · potential 87

Prof. Diallo is a microbiologist and named a bacterium after her sister, as a compliment, she says. She is determined and precise and writes her articles in three languages. Her little sister Osei brings the living animals to class; Diallo brings the small ones, the ones you only see under a microscope.

The Osei family · Look at the small things, they are the biggest.

Works out why music is beautiful

• Acoustics70
• Piano, almost good62
• Understanding people58

Power level 63 of 100 · potential 88

Sora is the first hero of Legend and studies physics with sound as his specialisation: he wants to know why his grandmother's violin sounds the way it does. He plays piano, almost well, and takes psychology as an elective with his father. His little sister Emi tests all his theories on her violin and says honestly when he is wrong.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Gives everything a name, even comets

• Astronomy68
• Writing66
• Hindi and English58

Power level 64 of 100 · potential 88

Hana studies astronomy and writes, because she thinks the universe deserves better stories. She is proud, says her brother; she calls it confident. At eighteen she wrote a children's book about a comet she had found herself; her father checked the orbit, her mother the tension in the story.

The Janssen family · Ask the night, it knows everything.

Translates while he drums

• Drums in two bands70
• French, English and Igbo66
• Travelling with a band54

Power level 63 of 100 · potential 86

Leo studies languages and drums in two bands, one of which sings in French and one in a language he invents himself. He has his father's rhythm and his mother's ears, which hear when he mispronounces a word. His headphones are blue and his agenda full, but on Sundays he plays djembe with his father.

The Okonkwo family · Speak three languages, listen in four.

Sees a pattern in every formula

• Chemistry72
• Maths66
• Ukulele58

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 88

Mei studies chemistry and wears the orange curls of the Van Dam family and the glasses of her textbooks. At twelve she discovered that you can make a rocket with baking soda and vinegar and has never stopped experimenting since. At parties she plays ukulele with her father; her cousin Eva sings along, usually too loudly.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Draws faster than he can erase

• Animation70
• Digital drawing60
• Running54

Power level 61 of 100 · potential 85

Haru studies animation and draws a comic strip every day about his little sister Sakura, which she officially does not read but always knows. He runs with his father when he is stuck in a drawing; the solution usually comes at kilometre three. His mother hangs his work in her study, among the old masters.

The Pieters family · You can learn to walk, and to run too.

Finds the bug nobody else finds

• Building apps74
• Maths66
• Drums50

Power level 63 of 100 · potential 87

Finn studies computer science and at fourteen built an app that let his sisters see whether the washing machine was done. His grandfather Visser still reviews his code and sends it back with one remark, always the right one. He drums in the attic, with headphones on, out of respect for the neighbours.

The Visser family · How does that work on the inside?

Builds what she hears in her head

• Software72
• Electronic music64
• Understanding people58

Power level 65 of 100 · potential 87

Aya studies artificial intelligence and builds programs that make music, though she thinks her own music is better. Her headphones never come off, except at grandma Suzuki's, who needs no words for that. Her little sister Kana tests everything she builds and always finds the button that does not work.

The Nguyen family · Mix, stir, taste, again.

Reads archives like thrillers

• Archive research70
• Language and writing64
• Running56

Power level 63 of 100 · potential 86

Eva studies history, like grandma, and runs ten kilometres every morning before the first lecture starts. In the archive she found a letter from a girl in 1652 and wrote her first research paper about it. Her little brother Kiko gets a new story from the archive every weekend, with pictures.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Counts everything, even the steps on the stairs

• Statistics92
• Economics76
• Walking66

Power level 78 of 100 · potential 82

Dr. Van Dam teaches statistics and believes you can count anything, as long as you honestly write down what you count. He walks twelve thousand steps every day, and he knows that because he counts them. His grandchildren Eva and Kiko get a graph of how much they have grown on his birthday.

The Van Dam family · Count what you see and tell what you count.

Measures twice, saws once

• Mechanical engineering84
• Physics76
• Sailing and navigation58

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Ir. Kuijpers teaches mechanical engineering and is building a sailing boat in his spare time, six years and counting, because he measures everything twice. He married into a family of historians and learned that you can give an engine a past too. His father-in-law calls him "the engineer", with respect, and asks every year how the boat is coming along.

The Van Leeuwen family · Those who know the past build better.

Answers every question with a question

• Psychology84
• Language and writing72
• Tennis60

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 78

Drs. Meijer teaches psychology and answers every question with a counter-question, which is sometimes tiring at home, his children say. He grew up between a pendulum and a violin and chose the people who look at them. His son Sora sits in his lecture hall and politely calls him Mr Meijer there.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Solves a problem by sleeping on it

• Algorithms86
• Djembe60
• Understanding people70

Power level 72 of 100 · potential 80

Dr. Okonkwo teaches algorithms and sleeps a night on every problem he cannot solve right away; the next morning the answer is on the whiteboard in the kitchen. He plays djembe on Sundays, with his son Leo on drums, until the neighbours clap along. With his wife Dubois he speaks French when Leo is not supposed to listen.

The Okonkwo family · Speak three languages, listen in four.

Always asks first: how do you know?

• Research84
• Maths76
• Language and writing70

Power level 77 of 100 · potential 82

Dr. Ekwueme teaches research methods and starts every class with the question of how you know something for sure. She grew up in her father's lab and decided early that she wanted to know why experiments work, not just that they do. Her nephews Kai and Taro get a notebook on their birthday with the assignment to write down everything they see.

The Okafor family · Trying is always allowed, giving up never needed.

Remembers what you said, even years later

• Psychology of memory86
• Swedish and English72
• Book club of two60

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Dr. Lindqvist teaches psychology and remembers the first sentence every student ever said to her. She cross-country skis in Sweden in winter and on wheels through the park in summer, to the amusement of the neighbourhood. With her sister Jansen she shares a mother, a language and a book club of two.

The Bergström family · A word is a door.

Sees a story in every number

• Economic history80
• History74
• Understanding people66

Power level 73 of 100 · potential 78

Drs. De Jong teaches economic history and explains why bread was once more expensive than gold, with graphs her father does not understand and her sister refuses to read. She is the youngest Van Leeuwen and the only one with a feel for numbers. On Sundays she cooks for the whole family, from a cookbook from 1750.

The Van Leeuwen family · Those who know the past build better.

Builds a bridge from three matches

• Structural engineering88
• Maths78
• Hindi and English64

Power level 77 of 100 · potential 80

Ir. Sharma teaches structural engineering and on every birthday builds a bridge from whatever is on the table, which then has to carry weight. She sketches quickly and precisely, a habit from her student days in Delft. Hana and Ryu grew up with a mother who asks why something stays up and a father who asks why it falls.

The Janssen family · Ask the night, it knows everything.

Works out the bill before the waiter brings it

• Microeconomics96
• Maths88
• History76

Power level 87 of 100 · potential 90

Prof. Haddad teaches microeconomics and can work out for any market stall whether it makes a profit, which the traders at the Saturday market know by now. He arrived as a student with one suitcase and learned the language from the newspaper. His daughter teaches economics at secondary school; his grandchildren Jin and Nana get pocket money with interest.

The Haddad family · Count your blessings, then your pennies.

Writes one character with a brush every morning

• Physics96
• Maths90
• Calligraphy87

Power level 91 of 100 · potential 93

Prof. Takahashi teaches physics and starts every lecture with a question nobody knows the answer to, himself included. At home he writes one character with brush and ink every morning, for fifty years now. With his old friend Prof. Yamada he competes every year for the highest power level; this year Yamada won by three points and Takahashi already has a plan.

The Tanaka family · First a question, then an answer, then dessert.

Talks about 1600 as if it were yesterday

• The Dutch Golden Age95
• Reading84
• Language and writing80

Power level 86 of 100 · potential 90

Prof. Van Leeuwen teaches history and can tell the Golden Age in such a way that the lecture hall smells of tar and spices. His two daughters both became teachers, one writes, the other calculates; he says they split history in two. His beard has been white since his first book and there have been twelve so far.

The Van Leeuwen family · Those who know the past build better.

Asks the question that turns the whole lecture around

• Development economics92
• History88
• Geography and the world86

Power level 89 of 100 · potential 92

Prof. Mbeki teaches development economics and halfway through every lecture asks one question that makes everyone turn their notes around. He is married to Prof. Oyelaran; they call their students their family, which those students notice at Sunday dinners. His glasses are new, his questions are old and get better every year.

The Mbeki family · Our students are our family.

Listens longer than anyone dares to stay silent

• Developmental psychology94
• Language and writing82
• Ikebana74

Power level 83 of 100 · potential 87

Prof. Suzuki teaches developmental psychology and can stay silent longer than any student, until the real answer comes. She arranges flowers according to rules three hundred years old and explains them as a form of listening. Her daughter Mila teaches year 3; her granddaughters Aya and Kana call her when they have a decision to make.

The Nguyen family · Mix, stir, taste, again.

Hears from a chord which century it comes from

• Violin94
• Music history82
• Czech, German and English78

Power level 85 of 100 · potential 88

Prof. Novak teaches musicology and can tell from any chord which century it comes from. She plays violin next to Prof. Fischer's cello, for forty years now, and still calls him "the physicist". Granddaughter Emi practises with her every week; grandson Sora listens in and works out the vibrations.

The Meijer family · First the stars, then the homework.

Hears from one sentence where you come from

• Swedish, Finnish, German, English and Dutch96
• Linguistics86
• Reading82

Power level 88 of 100 · potential 91

Prof. Bergström teaches linguistics and can hear from one sentence which village you come from, even if you have forgotten it yourself. She came from Sweden for a conference and stayed for the language, which she finds the most beautiful of all because it is the hardest. Her daughters teach Dutch and psychology; at home they speak Swedish, in a whisper.

The Bergström family · A word is a door.

Reads a law and sees at once who it helps

• Law90
• Understanding people88
• Economics80

Power level 86 of 100 · potential 90

Prof. Oyelaran is a professor of law and reads a law the way others read a poem: she sees at once who it was written for. She is determined in the lecture hall and gentle at the table, where students far from home join in every Sunday. With Prof. Mbeki she competes over who asked the best question of the week; the students get to vote.

The Mbeki family · Our students are our family.