Moving to middle school is tough for Kenny Wright, 11, a super-hero fanatic who fantasizes over a made-up superhero he calls Stainlezz Steel. He attends Union Middle School, or UMS, where bullies and trouble lurk around every other corner. Sadly, Kenny is the victim of more than half the bullies at UMS. Principals cycle like wheels in and out of office here, but one fateful day, Dr. Yetty comes into office. She ends up catching Kenny getting bullied, but of course, nobody gets it and she gives them a punishment that changes both Ray-Ray, the bully’s fate, and Kenny’s fate. But Kenny’s grandma isn’t okay with the mediocre UMS, so she leads a protest against the school. But what goes right and what goes wrong? Maybe Stainlezz Steel can help you with that in Public School Superhero.
The book is very good overall, but a little shady. There are a few jokes about criminals and some of that stuff. But overall, I give it a 4 out of 5. The characters are very good, it’s a good storyline, but it pushes stereotypical boundaries a little far. It kind of exaggerates bullying, but it’s just the right amount of stereotype to make the book excellent. Because of how it deals with bullying, it makes sense to have this book as a sort of after-school special kind of book, meaning it teaches people and has a moral.
Definitely how it sort of took bullying and middle school, twisted the idea of it, and turned it into an amazing story. Well done James Patterson, well done. It’s interesting how he did that, really.
Reviewed by Farhan, Grade 6 , Twin Hickory Area Library
HCPL TeenScene's Read + Review 