Not All Heroes

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Description

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

Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year

"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

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

"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." --Horn Book

Author Bio

Josephine Cameron received her MFA in creative writing from the University of Notre Dame. She is the author of Maybe a Mermaid and A Dog-Friendly Town. She lives in Brunswick, Maine, where she writes, sings, and teaches music to kids.