Boy 2.0

Gr 5-8–A thrilling superhero origin story. Win “Coal” Keegan, 13, has just been placed in a new foster home and he takes a walk through the neighborhood to scout locations for his chalk art. A neighbor fires a gun at him and he is chased by the police. Coal is terrified; his fear triggers a family gift and Coal’s skin becomes invisible. In his search for the cause behind his newfound power, Coal catches the attention of Mirror Tech Industries and must find his answers before they find him. The McKay kids, his new foster siblings, are quick to rally around Coal as he learns more about his new ability. Friendships new and old bring the perfect amount of levity and humor to a highly suspenseful story. Although this is a superhero tale, Baptiste beautifully weaves in a variety of significant topics like racial justice, science, and mindfulness. The villains’ search for Coal resolves itself very quickly at the end, but hopefully the origin story here paves the way for future adventures. Coal and the McKays are cued Black and most other characters are racially ambiguous.