Tag: DC Super Hero High

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Books from DC Comics

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: Books from DC Comics

Posted on by Jaymie

Superhero stories – and villain stories – are all the rage these days. Marvel has had a HUGE year at the box office while I feel like DC has done a better job with their print offerings. My emphasis for this post is on prose books and graphic novels that are original in that form, rather than graphic novels that are collections of comic books. You can read some of my reviews of DC books here. But there are other DC books I have enjoyed that I haven’t given a full review. Read about some of those books below as well as some things DC will be publishing in the coming months.

DC Backstories

I loved this line of books that gave the backstories for these DC superheroes (as well as Superman and Supergirl).
Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Super Hero High

I did a full review of the Batgirl story from this series, but I have read all of these. I am missing two books in the series to read – Harley Quinn and Bumblebee. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

Middle Grade Books

Flash: Hocus Pocus – I loved the first book in this Flash series! I haven’t kept up with the books (and now there is a new crossover series starting), but I liked how this one tied into the TV show, but was from a different timeline where Barry hadn’t gone back in time to change things (creating a slew of problems). The villain in this was legitimate and made for a very suspenseful story. Fans of the TV show should definitely check this series out. Rating: ♥♥♥♥ There’s also a Supergirl series like this, but I haven’t read any of those. Book one is called Age of Atlantis.

Study Hall of Justice – The first  Secret Hero Society book was fun. They are set up like the Jedi Academy books with comic panels, journal entries, etc. I did not like the art style for the first book, so I didn’t keep with it, but it looks like they changed artists with book 4, so I might have to try them again. Rating: ♥♥♥♥

DC Icons

I loved the idea of these DC Icons books – prose novels about the “heroes” as teens – so I read all four of them even though I have only posted a full review for Batman: Nightwalker. I thoroughly enjoyed the Wonder Woman story (Rating: ♥♥♥♥) and the Catwoman story (Rating: ♥♥♥♥), but the Superman book was a disappointment (Rating: ♥♥♥). The WW and Batman stories are being turned into graphic novels.

Early Readers/Chapter Books – Coming Soon

DC Super Hero Adventures – Four books release February 1, 2020 from DC including these two titles. It looks like these will be chapter books rather than graphic novels. I’m excited to see that!
DC Super Hero Girls at Metropolis High  – A new Super Hero Girls iteration launches on October 15, 2019. A second graphic novel in the series will release in spring 2020.
Winner Takes All – A chapter book starring Wonder Woman in Metropolis. Releases November 19, 2019. There may be a second book in the series releasing the same day.

Middle Grade – Coming Soon

Batman: Overdrive – Middle grade graphic novel releasing in March 2020.
Black Canary: Ignite (Dinah Lance) – Graphic novel, releasing October 29, 2019
Diana Princess of the Amazons – New graphic novel from the fantastic Shannon Hale releases in January 2020.
Field Trip Disaster – Book 5 in the Secret Hero Society series. Releases October 1, 2019.
Green Lantern: Legacy – New graphic novel releases in January 2020.
Super Sons: The Foxglove Mission – Book 2 in the Super Sons series releases on October 29, 2019
Zatanna and the House of Secrets – Middle grade graphic novel releasing in February 2020.

Teens – Coming Soon

Batman: Nightwalker Graphic Novel – Releases October 1, 2019
Gotham High (Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Jack Napier) – Graphic novel, releasing April 2020
The Oracle Code (Barbara Gordon) – Graphic novel, releasing March 2020
Shadow of the Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) – Graphic novel, releasing February 2020
Wonder Woman: Warbringer Graphic Novel – Releases in January 2020

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of both of these books from Netgalley and DC Comics in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

DC Super Hero Girls Out of the Bottle – Summary

Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Supergirl and Katana are in the art room at Super Hero High working on their comics project. Katana’s is one of the best their teacher has ever seen, but Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are struggling with theirs. While Wonder Woman checks out Supergirl’s project, Harley decides to try their teacher’s “magic paint” on her own.

When Katana checks on Wonder Woman’s project in order to encourage her friend, one of Harley’s drawings has moved from her project onto Wonder Woman’s. And the comic version of Harley is only interested in causing trouble. Soon she is off the pages all together and hassling the heroes face to face. Then she sets all of their comic characters free, too – and they all become villains.

Review

This is a fun addition to the Super Hero High graphic novel collection. It was the sixth book in the series so far (although in some places it is marked as book 5), after Date with Disaster and before Search for Atlantis. The story for this one is delightfully wacky, which fits the focus on Harley, with more chaos in every chapter, especially when the art teacher gives in to her dark side. The solution to the runaway comic characters is a little cheesy, but I think kids will get a kick out of it (although it may elicit some groans). The story takes a serious turn at the end when the characters talk about anger management, mental health, and therapy. This seems like a great message for the audience – it’s okay to need help and to get help!

These are fun characters, familiar in a lot of ways but still growing up, learning about friendship, and gaining confidence in themselves and their gifts. This particular book had some nice moments celebrating creativity along with the usual friendship and teamwork themes. Fans of this series will gobble up this story.

This is a lighter, sillier version of the characters in Lisa Yee’s middle grade novels. One series or the other (or in my case, both!) will appeal to superhero fans in general as well as fans of these particular heroes.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

 

DC Super Hero Girls Search for Atlantis – Summary

Mera has arrived from Atlantis to go to Super Hero High. Wonder Woman offers to help her get settled in. The two become friends, leaving Bumblebee feeling left out. Mr. Fox, the weaponomics teacher, leads the heroes on a field trip to Atlantis. But after a battle with a giant squid the group discovers Atlantis has gone missing! It is a lost city once again.

The kids discover Brainiac has shrunken the city and keeps it on his ship. Their elaborate plan to rescue Atlantis requires Miss Martian to impersonate a criminal; the Teen Titans to back her up; and Bumblebee, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Mera to shrink down and wait in a fake miniature city until Miss Martian’s team sells it to Brainiac. What could possibly go wrong?!

Review

This series just gets better and better! I loved this story. It’s intricate with lots of suspense and conflict in each chapter. The characters are smart and play off one another in familiar ways (the Teen Titans are a great example). I loved the emphasis on Bumblebee, Raven and Miss Martian in this story. I know Raven from a few episodes of Teen Titans Go! and Miss Martian from Young Justice. I enjoy both of those characters a lot, so I loved seeing them get a lot of focus in this story. The author does a great job with these characters as well as with Bumblebee’s angst and jealousy over Wonder Woman’s friendship with Mera.

In the midst of superhero powers and super villain schemes, there’s a very relate-able friendship crisis that plays out through the larger Atlantis/Brainiac story that’s fantastic! Highly recommend.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: What Is "Middle Grade?"

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: What Is “Middle Grade?”

Posted on by Jaymie

Publishers Weekly recently published an issue that focused on the “Middle Grade” market for books. This category is defined as books for 8 to 12 year olds who are reading independently. This sparked a fascinating discussion on Twitter about how different 8 to 12 year olds are, and also about the kids in the 10 to 14 year old range who sometimes are forgotten in the publishing world because they are ready for more mature reading experiences, but not necessarily ready or interested in some of the material found in Young Adult books.

After reading the article and participating in some of the Twitter talk, I looked at my middle grade reading very differently. I love this category in general. Middle Grade books are what kicked off my love of children’s literature. But the professionals – teachers, librarians, authors – on Twitter are right. It’s a diverse category trying to be all things to all readers who are at a pivotal time in their development as readers. I’m not sure there is any other reading category that has to cover the same sort of spread as Middle Grade.

When I was teaching, the books my third graders wanted (8-9 years old) and the ones my sixth graders wanted (11-12 years old) were vastly different. Here are some examples:

Middle Grade Books for the Average Third Grader

These books tend to be illustrated, shorter, and focused on kids close in age to the reader – around 10 years old. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule (stronger readers, genre preferences, etc.), but in general these books would have appealed to my third graders.

Middle Grade Books for the Average Sixth Grader

These books tend to be longer and focused on kids close in age to the reader – more in the 12 or 13 year old range.  They tackle more mature topics – race relations, death and dying, mental illness, etc., but at a level appropriate for the reader. The stories – and the emotional issues – are often more nuanced and intricate. These books will often work for 7th and 8th graders, too – the 10 to 14 age group. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule (struggling readers, genre preferences, etc. – and some kids in this age group will push toward teen/YA books like Maze Runner and Hunger Games), but in general these books would have appealed to my sixth graders.

Middle Grade Books that Span the Age Range

Theory of Small Things mysteryBrilliant Middle School Detective

Then there are the books that work for the whole range – Dork Diaries/Wimpy Kid, animal stories, graphic novels, super hero stories, mysteries and fantasy stories that are mostly action-focused. I had kids at both ends of the Middle Grade age range that would dig into books like these. If they could handle the length of the book and the vocabulary, they could handle anything the story might have dished out, no matter what the age. (Wings of Fire might push the envelope a little on the younger end because of the violence.)

I would love to see publishers push a different sort of division for Middle Grade that reflects the different needs and interests of the kids in this age range. Some of the authors on Twitter said their publishers were marketing their books to the older 10-14 group, which seems like a wise sub-category to me. There are things you can explore with middle schoolers that you wouldn’t want to tackle with younger kids, but you can keep some of the more mature features of Young Adult books out of those stories, knowing that the kids who are ready for that material will seek it out on their own.

REVIEW: DC Superhero Girls: Date with Disaster! by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: DC Superhero Girls: Date with Disaster! by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Romance is in the air as the Super Hero High kids plan a dance and Batgirl sees her dad, Commissioner Gordon, on a date. Even Principal Waller has a boyfriend. Batgirl signs her dad up for a dating service because she doesn’t like the person he’s dating. But her plans to find true love for her dad backfire.

While the plans for the dance start coming together, and the kids start matchmaking for one another, there’s an explosion at STAR Labs. Dr Faulkner is hurt, and the mayor is trying to hide something. The kids will have to wait to put on their dancing shoes until they sort out what is really going on at STAR Labs.

Review

This was a fun story that really held together well.  There was a nice level of tension from chapter to chapter leading up to the end. The STAR Labs piece was especially well done. The matchmaking was more of a means to an end. It got people into places where they need to be for other parts of the story to take place.

Poison Ivy and Lois Lane had expanded roles in this story which was a lot of fun. The rest of the girls worked various angles on the mystery. The guys – Flash and Cyborg in particular – were more involved in the dance portions of the story.

This will be great for fans of the other graphic novels in this series as well as fans of the Lisa Yee middle grade novels and other DC properties. This is my favorite book so far in this graphic novel series.

Thanks to Netgalley and DC Comics for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Summer Olympus by Shea Fontana

REVIEW: Summer Olympus by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It’s summer break at Super Hero High. Wonder Woman has been invited to Olympus by her father, Zeus, to spend time with the godly side of her family. She invites her friends to join her but most have plans. Super Girl, Big Barda and Lady Shiva are heading to the Kent’s farm in Kansas for the summer. Batgirl, Beast Boy and Katana are touring Europe. So Bumblebee is the only one who can go to Olympus with Wonder Woman. But one best friend is more than enough!

While there, the heroes meet Wonder Woman’s siblings including Ares, the god of war. Meanwhile, Super Girl and friends are tackling farm chores and the Europe gang is tracking a thief who is stealing Greek artifacts.

It all comes to a head in Olympus when the thief is revealed and the Olympians wage war on Metropolis – and on the kids from Super Hero High!

Review

Such a fun story! I love the graphic novel format which gives an image for all the DC characters. Some are less familiar to me than others, and I appreciate seeing what they look like. It’s especially helpful when I go back to the Lisa Yee middle grade books which aren’t illustrated (Katana, the latest in that series, is out this summer!).

At the core, this story is about identity. Wonder Woman is a demigod – half Olympian god, and half Amazon. Growing up an Amazon, she feels comfortable in Themyscira and knows who she is there. In Olympus, she feels less certain about how she fits in – or if she belongs there at all.

While it starts as just the BFFs, Wonder Woman and Bumblebee, the whole student body of Super Hero High gets into the act when the battle hits Metropolis. This is a fun story for fans of the property and and good introduction for those new to Super Hero High.

Thanks to the publisher, DC Comics, for an electronic review copy of Summer Olympus in exchange for an honest review!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Batgirl at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

After helping with the major attack in book 2 (Supergirl at Super Hero High), Batgirl earns a place at Super Hero High. Even though she has no super powers, she is welcomed into the school community with mostly open arms. Her teachers adore her. Only one shows any resistance to her placement there – Commissioner Gordon. Her father.

Barbara/Batgirl is determined to secure her place at Super Hero High and fulfill her dream of fighting crime. Her father is equally determined to keep her home and keep her safe.

Is there any way both of them can be happy?

Review

My favorite book in this series so far! I fell in love with Barbara Gordon’s character when I read the Supergirl book in this series. I was thrilled to see that she was going to get her own story next. And the book lived up to my hopes.

Batgirl is appealing to me because she doesn’t have traditional superpowers. She’s brilliant, and she uses her intellect to create gadgets for herself and tech solutions for everyone else.

One of the things I like about this series is that the core of each book is about each girl establishing her own identity and/or overcoming some issue (confidence, loneliness, etc.) to start developing into the hero she has potential to be. Yes, there’s a villain and a plot to foil and a battle to wage and win. But those things only facilitate the character development going on. In Batgirl’s case, she is dealing with identity issues like the rest. In her case, they center around competing as a non-superpowered individual, individuating from her dad while still keeping a relationship him, over-committing, and letting herself be part of a  team. I loved every minute of the process for Batgirl!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

Katana gets the next book in the series this summer!

REVIEW: DC Super Hero Girls Graphic Novels by Shea Fontana

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Graphic novels based on the DC Super Hero High story line (including novels by Lisa Yee).

In the first graphic novel, Finals Crisis, several of the girls are captured by a  mysterious figure right before their final exams. The only way they can escape and get to their exams on time will be to work together.  In the second story, Hits and Myths, the school English teacher goes missing and the Batplane is stolen. The kids will have to work together to solve both mysteries.

DC Super Hero High Graphic Novels

Review

These are fun stories for the young fans of DC heroes – and villains. The comics are fun, allowing each character to show his/her powers (It’s not just the girls, although they are the focus. Beast Boy and the Flash make appearances). I especially liked the first book because there was a “chapter” focus on each of the main girls. The mythology tie in for book 2 wasn’t as strong as I expected it to be. The theme of working together ran through both stories.

These books would be a great starting place for new fans who want to get to know the main characters (Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl, Katana, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, etc.) with a visual story.

These are also a great tie in with the middle grade novels, pictured below. I have really enjoyed the middle grade series. They give more depth to the characters introduced here in the graphic novels. But I find myself wishing for more pictures when I read the novels. These graphic novels meet that need.

Rating: ♥♥♥