I greatly enjoyed this. It has a good blend of heart, and amusement, and conflict. I was disappointed that the narrator was not, in fact, a superhero, but it could easily by argued that he was a hero in the truer sense of the word. ( )

Narrated by Joshua Boone. Kenny Wright is just trying to make it at Union Middle School in Washington, DC. Classes are overcrowded, teachers are mediocre, and the school sees three changes of principal in the first two months of the school year. He also tries to duck the attention of the "detention crew" kids who lock on to his fears and push him around. But Kenny finds the fortitude to speak his voice thanks to his strong "G-ma," an inspiring UMS principal, a new friendship with a detention crew kid, and his retreats into his own superhero creation, Stainlezz Steel. Boone depicts Kenny as a geeky and likable kid and he rolls the timbre and slang of DC kids with authenticity. ( )

I'm not really sure where I stand on this one. The story and the concept don't really seem to match, but not the worst thing I've read of late. ( )

Combination prose and graphic novel. I enjoyed this story. I liked that Stainlezz Steel was a graphic novel within the story but I also enjoyed the illustrations throughout the book. It was a fun read as Kenny learned history and applied it to his life and school. I liked that his grandmother was there to teach him to do what is right although it is not always easy. I also liked that his dad was his hero. Watching Kenny grow up to become a leader within his school and neighborhood was good although he had some tough lessons to learn. ( )