Anti/Hero

Gr 3-6--Two polar-opposite, superpowered 13-year-old girls get in each other's way as they attempt to complete a mission. Popular Piper Pájaro is determined to protect her city as the superhero the Hummingbird, but her lack of control over her super strength has law enforcement dubbing her the Wrecking Ball. Intelligent thief Sloane MacBrute is the essence of suave thanks to her tech gadgetry and stealth. But unlike outgoing Piper, Sloane is a loner, forced into an isolating life of crime in order to take care of her mom. When Sloane's crime lord grandfather demands she steal a mysterious invention for him, Piper's and Sloane's paths collide and they accidentally activate the invention: a body-switching device. Trapped in each other's bodies, the two girls must work together to thwart the senior MacBrute's evil plans. Although the plot is predictable at times, this is a quick, funny read with an empowering message about learning to understand others. At times, the authors use well-worn tropes (Piper's missing parents; Sloane's sick mother) to advance the narrative; at others, they subvert expectations (often kids with troubled family lives are depicted as academic underperformers, but here it's Piper who struggles and Sloane who excels). Gil's vibrant art brings the story to life through contrasting color schemes, skillfully drawn action sequences, and lively facial expressions. VERDICT Fans of the DC Super Hero Girls TV series will find Piper and Sloane a winning duo.--Lara Goldstein, Forsyth County Public Libraries, NC

Two dissimilar super 13-year-olds swap bodies in this introduction to a new East Gotham crime-fighting duo: the Hummingbird and the Gray Owl. Black-clad and pale-haired, loner Sloan MacBrute—known as Gray in the underworld—is the hyperintelligent granddaughter of the villainous Scotsman Bear, often working small jobs for him to help her mother make ends meet. Superstrong Piper Pájaro, of Latinx heritage, lives with her abuela and police officer uncle, and hopes that her superhero alter ego—the Hummingbird—will draw her absent scientist parents' interest. When each girl sets her sights on nabbing an abandoned medical invention engineered by Piper's parents, a body switch reveals its dangerous power. As they work to repair the broken device and keep it from falling into ill-intentioned hands, the girls' forced alliance helps each develop an appreciation for the other's unique skills and motivations; Sloan worries about her ill mother and her family's damaging legacy, while Piper's feelings of abandonment result in rash actions. Gil's expressive characterization and thoughtful use of color create a distinctly cinematic feel, akin to that of an animated series. For these appealingly rendered opposites, empathy and understanding inspires unexpected friendship and unstoppable heroism. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)