By Nico
Jessica Tran is not a hero.
Despite the superpowers of her hero parents and her older sister, she doesn’t have the gene—meaning that instead of training with the Heroes’ League of Heroes, she’s stuck hunting for internships to improve her college application.
When she finally stumbles on an internship with Monroe Industries, the premier robot-creating institution in her futuristic, high-tech world, Jess figures it’s as good as anything else as a replacement for saving the world. But the Monroe Industries internship turns out to be more interesting than Jess foresaw when she discovers her longtime crush, Abby, is one of her new coworkers—and that her parent’s longtime villain nemesis owns the company.
It becomes a way of rebellion—working for a villain, since she can’t become a hero like she always dreamed. But as Jess learns more about Monroe Industries—and the heroes she’s always idolized—she begins to question what being a hero or villain really means.
Not Your Sidekick is a quirky, clever spoof of the classic superhero/villain narrative that instantly pulled me into its unexpected world. Although this is far from the first book to rewrite the usual hero/villain dynamic, C. B. Lee does so with particular flair, making Jess question the makeup of her society but only incorporating dystopian clichés with thoughtful self-awareness. The characters were awesome; Jess and Abby were definitely favorites, but I also loved Jess’s friend Bells, and how even minor characters who initially present as little more than superhero caricatures have their own depth and uniqueness. I also loved how Lee incorporated both queer and racial diversity into this story in a way that felt normal while also acknowledging and incorporating how a superhero-run society could exacerbate existing prejudice. I highly recommend Not Your Sidekick to readers ages twelve and up.
Jessica Tran is not a hero.
Despite the superpowers of her hero parents and her older sister, she doesn’t have the gene—meaning that instead of training with the Heroes’ League of Heroes, she’s stuck hunting for internships to improve her college application.
When she finally stumbles on an internship with Monroe Industries, the premier robot-creating institution in her futuristic, high-tech world, Jess figures it’s as good as anything else as a replacement for saving the world. But the Monroe Industries internship turns out to be more interesting than Jess foresaw when she discovers her longtime crush, Abby, is one of her new coworkers—and that her parent’s longtime villain nemesis owns the company.
It becomes a way of rebellion—working for a villain, since she can’t become a hero like she always dreamed. But as Jess learns more about Monroe Industries—and the heroes she’s always idolized—she begins to question what being a hero or villain really means.
Not Your Sidekick is a quirky, clever spoof of the classic superhero/villain narrative that instantly pulled me into its unexpected world. Although this is far from the first book to rewrite the usual hero/villain dynamic, C. B. Lee does so with particular flair, making Jess question the makeup of her society but only incorporating dystopian clichés with thoughtful self-awareness. The characters were awesome; Jess and Abby were definitely favorites, but I also loved Jess’s friend Bells, and how even minor characters who initially present as little more than superhero caricatures have their own depth and uniqueness. I also loved how Lee incorporated both queer and racial diversity into this story in a way that felt normal while also acknowledging and incorporating how a superhero-run society could exacerbate existing prejudice. I highly recommend Not Your Sidekick to readers ages twelve and up.
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