Not All Heroes

by Josephine Cameron (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

Even though her family moved across the country for a "fresh start" after her little brother's death, eleven-year-old Zinnia Helinski still feels like she's stuck waiting for her new life to begin. Then she spots her new neighbor, Kris, climbing down the fire escape of their apartment building. He's wearing a black eye mask! And Spandex leggings. . . . And a blue body suit?

Soon Zinnia finds herself in a secret club for kids who want to be heroes. The Reality Shifters don't have superpowers, but they do have the power to make positive change in their neighborhoods. And a change is just what Zinnia is looking for!

At first, she feels invincible. Zinnia finally has friends and is on the kind of real-life adventures her little brother, Wally, would have loved. But when her teammates lose sight of their goals, Zinnia must find the balance between bravery and recklessness, and learn to be a hero without her cape.

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Paperback
$8.99

Kirkus

Starred Review

A perfect balance of morally complex and extremely fun.


ALA/Booklist

Not All Heroes promotes the insight that we all have the superpower to help people in need, even if only in small ways.

Hornbook

A rivalry with another RLSH league add a lively element, but the story stays grounded in day-to-day life, encouraging readers to think critically about what allyship means and how to avoid centering oneself.

Review quotes

"With its clear, accessible writing, this suspenseful story masterfully juggles many topics: grief; self-assurance; the need for individual, collective, and systemic approaches to ableism, poverty, and other social ills; and the fine line between "extreme altruism" and self-aggrandizement. Morally complex and extremely fun." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review


Josephine Cameron
Josephine Cameron received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She is the author Maybe a Mermaid, A Dog-Friendly Town, and Not All Heroes, which was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. She lives in Maine, where she writes, sings, and teaches music to kids.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250832733
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Square Fish
Publication date
April 11, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV001000 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure
JUV071000 - Juvenile Fiction | Superheroes
Library of Congress categories
-
Junior Library Guild
Selection
Kirkus
Best Book of the Year

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