Junior Hero Blues

Gr 7 Up—Javier Medina is the Blue Spark. He gained superpowers about a year ago and was then recruited by the Legion of Liberty to help fight crime. Javier comes from a low-income neighborhood, but the focus of the story isn't on his day-to-day life in a tough, realistic world. Instead, Pendragon creates an action/adventure romp about a bumbling teenage superhero who also happens to be gay. Javier's humor and adolescent awkwardness bring to mind the characters in the "39 Clues" and the "Spy Kids" series, although with a more mature sensibility here. Javier does talk about his earthly desires but never in an explicit way. Readers seeking a novel with a complex narrative and weighty issues should look elsewhere, but there's plenty of fun to be had here. Supervillains in secret warehouses, races across the rooftops of Liberty City, and teenage superheroes battling jewel thieves all make for a page-turning read.