The Greatest Superpower

by Alex Sanchez, Brann Garvey (Illustrator)

Overview

It’s the summer before high school, and thirteen-year-old Jorge Fuerte wants nothing more than to spend his days hanging out with his fellow comic-book-obsessed friends. But then everything changes. His parents announce they’re divorcing for a reason Jorge and his twin brother, Cesar, never saw coming—their larger-than-life dad comes out as transgender. Jorge struggles to understand the father he’s always admired, but Cesar refuses to have anything to do with him. As Jorge tries to find a way to stay true to the father he loves, a new girl moves into the neighborhood: cool, confident, quirky Zoey. She tames Jorge’s unruly terrier and enlists the terrier and Jorge in a dance routine for the back-to-school talent show. As the date of the show draws near, Jorge must face his fears and choose between being loyal to his brother or truthful about his family’s secret. Although he’s no superhero, Jorge already has the world’s greatest superpower—if he decides to use it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684462780
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	02/01/2021
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	267,494
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Lexile:	HL600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

Interviews

Fans of Alex Sanchez, the award-winning author of Rainbow Boys and the Lambda Award-winning novel So Hard to Say, will delight in his new middle-grade novel, which addresses the complexities of gender identity with honesty, humor, and heart;

Editorial Reviews

02/01/2021

Gr 4–8—Jorge Fuerte's world spirals when his parents announce they are divorcing and that his father is transgender. While 13-year-old Jorge earnestly navigates myriad emotions, his twin brother, Cesar, shuts their father out completely. As if his family life isn't complicated enough, Jorge falls head over heels for the new girl, Zoey, as he works on a comic competition with his two best friends. Jorge keeps his father's identity a secret from those closest to him, a decision that will cause significant trouble before the book's ultimately happy conclusion. This work begins somewhat abruptly but finds its stride after a summer break montage; the bulk of the narrative is well paced and engaging. Readers may be disappointed, however, that only two of the three competition-based plot threads are resolved. While some readers might find the text a bit didactic, overall this tale provides representation and context for for kids of transgender parents, readers exploring their own gender identities, or tweens wishing to better understand themselves. Jorge is light-skinned, like their mother, and Cesar is darker complected like their father. Sanchez deftly weaves commentary on race, specifically in regards to Latinos, and inequality into his larger narrative. VERDICT There is a lot to love here, and the hopeful, honest representation of a transgender parent is essential for all library collections.—Taylor Worley, Springfield P.L., OR

School Library Journal

2020-11-27
Jorge is about to enter eighth grade when his parents drop a bombshell: They are getting a divorce because his dad is transgender.

Jorge is upset and confused, but his twin brother, Cesar, is furious and refuses to speak to their father. While navigating gender, family, friendship, dating—and Cesar’s bid for student body president—Jorge learns a lesson about having the confidence to be yourself. This heartfelt novel avoids some pitfalls in representation but tumbles straight into others. Sanchez provides a nuanced depiction of navigating race, as readers see how the biracial brothers’ experiences diverge. Their Mexican American father, who says he is still their papa and now goes by Norma, teaches brown-skinned Cesar how to stay safe from the police while White-passing Jorge knows that he’ll never truly understand Cesar’s experience. The cast is diverse; the boys’ best friend is Chinese and Jamaican. However, the author’s depiction of transition is a mixed bag. He takes down a few misconceptions but props up others, offering genuine insight into the family’s feelings while also dedicating far too many words to describing Norma’s big hands, masculine frame, garish makeup, and how she totters comically in her heels and dresses. These harmful stereotypes of trans women are sadly familiar and disappointing in what is otherwise a touching story about a family’s experience with gender transition.

A good book marred by clumsy trans representation. (note to readers) (Fiction. 10-13)

Kirkus Reviews