Metropolis Grove

When middle schooler Sonia moves from urban Metropolis City to suburban Metropolis Grove, she makes fast friends with longtime neighbors Duncan and Alex. As a Metropolis City kid, Sonia’s a huge Superman fan—she swears he winked at her once—but Duncan doesn’t believe that he exists. As the ethnically varied friend group adventures in the nearby woods, building a fort, reading comics, and building fires unattended, Sonia hopes that she can persuade Alex of Superman’s authenticity, especially when the friends discover a hideout, plastered in Superman posters, that she’s convinced belongs to the famed hero. But when Sonia realizes that he’s a destruction-prone version of the hero with similar powers, she struggles to admit her mistake. Using earthy pastel colors, Creator Brockington (the CatStronauts series) brings Metropolis Grove to life with a keen sense of suburban place and middle school dynamics. Though a reliance on straightforward shots creates visual repetition, the tension between Sonia’s desire for friendship and her fear of rejection propels the plot along. Ages 8–12. [em](May) [/em]