In Search of Superpowers

December 18, 2023
Limited edition enamel pins grant middle schoolers Angela, Skylar, Sophie, and Travis superpowers in Lawrence’s dynamic series opening debut. Having been raised by her widowed father, Angela finds it difficult to adapt to her wealthy, soon-to-be stepmother’s privileged world. Skylar, who is nonbinary, works to help support their family but feels overwhelmed by their responsibilities. Sophie, her twin sister Becca, and the siblings’ two mothers live a comfortable life, but Sophie is tired of feeling as if she and Becca must be identical in every way, especially as Sophie starts crushing on another girl. And athlete Travis would rather focus on video game coding and hanging out with his crush and best friend, Rhyan, than run track. When, following an eerie explosion and news of a local amusement park’s expansion, the four classmates obtain mysterious powers and band together to discover the source of their tradeable gifts, which include telepathy, extreme agility, leadership, and artistic talent. Occasionally awkward dialogue stymies narrative momentum and deflates the intersectionally diverse characters’ endearing interactions, which are depicted via b&w spot illustrations by Cacao (The Secret of the Ravens). Ages 9–12.

November 15, 2023
Four Black eighth graders order limited-edition enamel pins featuring fantasy characters Princess P and Swanson T Swan--and unknowingly get superpowers, too. Angela, Skylar, Travis, and Sophie, kids from different parts of the same city in Florida, are thrown together after an explosion literally rocks their world. They're each wrestling with different concerns: Angela is worried about her dad and his fiancee, who work at local theme park FUNTASTIC PLAINS. Angela's friend Skylar, who uses they/them pronouns, has been shouldering a lot of responsibilities since their dad lost his job. Travis is holding on to a secret crush as well as hiding from his grandfather the fact that he's thinking of giving up track for video game design. And Sophie is no longer keeping quiet about wanting a life of her own, not one where she shares every experience with her twin sister. The middle schoolers, whose superpowers ultimately align with what they need to become their most authentic selves, pursue the mystery of where the pins came from and how they're tied to the theme park's expansion. Lawrence creates a community in which the characters are, for the most part, supported in who they want to be, and queer kids and their families thrive. Although the action moves at a steady pace, the awkward, stilted dialogue interrupts the flow of the story. Spot art and occasional full-page illustrations show characters with a range of body types and skin tones. A fun, inclusive adventure. (Fantasy. 10-13)

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