Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Justice League—the High School Edition

High School Heroes (High School Heroes #1) by James Mascia (L & L Dreamspell, 2010, 298pp.)

When Goth-chick Christine starts hearing voices while at school, she fears she may be loosing her mind—until she realizes that the “voices” are actually people’s thoughts. At first, she thinks she’s the only person at Thomas Jefferson High with special powers. Wrong! Turns out that Ethan, her hunky crush and captain of the football team, is the team’s star player for a reason: he has the power of super-speed. After revealing their powers to one another, the two quickly become fast friends. Meanwhile, they discover that two other students have powers: snarky mean girl Savanah (gifted with super strength) and skateboarding loser Peter (able to shoot lightning out of his hands). Then, Ethan has an idea: why not form a super league? (Christine’s initial reaction is less than enthusiastic.) And, as happens with the formations of all impromptu super leagues, the group eventually does come to loggerheads with a villain or two—one of them at Winter Formal, no less.

Been there done that, right? Actually, there’s more to it than that! Not only does the author build up a nice plot, he also pays attention to character development. True, the characters do play off certain stereotypes (the Goth-chick, the jock, the snarky mean girl), yet each of them is distinct in his or her own way. (I can’t tell you how pleased I was when Ethan, who, when we first meet him,seems to be a typical jock, is actually a really nice, smart guy who likes to drag his friends to ComicCon.) Overall, an enjoyable read.

The adventures of Christine and her friends in High School Heroes is the foundation for Mascia’s High School Heroes series. At least three more volumes will follow. Recommended for Ages 15-Up.

Click on cover for image source.

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