Hide or Seek: The Superpower Protection Program

Sixteen-year-old white-cued Nick Pappas had no idea that his traveling salesman father was also the superpowered Enhanced Human known as Odysseus until Odysseus was publicly killed in an explosion. Before the news sinks in, Nick and his mother are whisked away by soldiers employed by enigmatic Mr. Handler and relocated to small, obscure Crucible, N.J., where they’re placed in a witness protection program for Enhanced Humans. Nick struggles to embody a new identity while navigating grief over his father’s death. Worse, his classmates all inexplicably have innate superhuman abilities, and Crucible is so remote that even the night sky is somehow different from that of his former life. While attempting to make sense of Crucible’s strangeness, Nick unlocks his own dormant powers and teams with other Enhanced teens to try and leave town, but Mr. Handler seems to have other plans for them. Heavy on raised questions and light on proffered answers, this pulpy thriller eschews deep character development for ample action and suspense, chaotically ricocheting from one twist to the next. Comics writer DiDio (Pulp Power) ambitiously blends standard superhero tropes with thematically mystifying conspiracy theories and misdirection, providing lively, if slim, narrative payout. Ages 12–up. Agent: Paula Allen, Screenland Literary Assoc. (Apr.)