Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is focused on books that are linked together by being superhero inspired! We have a great selection of fiction and graphic novel titles which include superhero characters and themes; some are one that you may know from the Marvel or DC Universes while others are completely original to that author and story. Hopefully these will help inspire you to explore if you have superpowers and how would you use them if you could. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthlandofheroes as well as on Libby and Hoopla. Check back next week for a new Middle Grade book spotlight and if you have any book suggestions, please let us know!!
Captain Superlative by J.S. Puller--When a student dressed as a superhero and calling herself "Captain Superlative" starts running around the halls of Deerwood Park Middle School and taking on bullies, Janey, a quiet outsider, feels compelled to find out who is behind the mask. As Janey befriends Captain Superlative, she discovers the superhero's secret and is forced to examine what it means to be a hero and a friend.
Primer: A Superhero Graphic Novel by Thomas Krajewski--Thirteen-year-old Ashley Rayburn's upbeat attitude may hide a downbeat past, with her father in prison and having several foster home-stays under her belt already, but now she has found a new, loving family, a best friend, and has discovered a love for painting. However, Ashley also has a history of trouble finding her wherever she goes, and that proves true here when she comes across a suitcase of specially enhanced body paints that, when painted on her skin, gives her superpowers. That is awesome--until the government agency that made it wants the paint back.
Green Lantern: Legacy by Minh Lê--Thirteen-year-old Tai Pham inherits a jade ring and finds that he's now a member of the Green Lanterns, who are tasked with policing the universe. He also soon learns that it takes more than a ring to become a hero.
Cape: The League of Secret Heroes by Kate Hannigan--The superheroes have all vanished and World War II is ramping up. Josie O’Malley is passed over for a cipher job because she's a girl, but is instead recruited for a top-secret military intelligence operation where she meets fellow genius ciphers Mae and Akiko. They soon discover that when together, the three suddenly gain superpowers which they then use to subvert a Nazi plot.
Miles Morales, Spider-Man by Jason Reynolds--Teen Miles Morales, the current Spider-Man, worries that his spidey-sense is broken. A misunderstanding gets him suspended from school and makes him doubt himself and his abilities. After all, his father and uncle were once criminals. He begins having nightmares and his spidey-sense continues to buzz in history class where he listens to his teacher talk about the benefits of slavery. Then his scholarship at his private school is threatened, and Miles's investigations uncover a plot that puts all he loves at risk.
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo--When a lonely and hungry squirrel is sucked into Mrs. Tickham's Ulysses Super Suction vacuum cleaner, he is shot out into the backyard of young Flora, who resuscitates him. When he wakes, the squirrel discovers he has brand new thoughts in his head, can speak like humans, and sort of likes Flora. Naming him Ulysses, Flora suggests that he might have superpowers now! Not only is Ulysses transformed by the incident, but Flora, a cynic since the divorce of her parents, just might be opening up her heart again.