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A review by alinaborger
Heck Superhero by Martine Leavitt
I still don't know what to think about this book. It's sad. It's oddly positioned between middle grade and YA in terms of content. It reminded me a little bit of the Cynthia Voigt books back in the 80's in terms of how Heck views his homelessness pragmatically and protectively.
The comics gimmick doesn't really work here--it doesn't read as genuine from neither Heck nor Leavitt. There's a lot of telling about comics rather than a sense of that coming from inside the character. But I forgive it as a reader because Heck's belief in the magic rule of the universe (do good and nothing bad will happen to you) is utterly realistic--it makes it possible for to read his sweet, willful naiveté on the page. It raises the emotional stakes for him and makes his situation even more distressing for the reader.
The comics gimmick doesn't really work here--it doesn't read as genuine from neither Heck nor Leavitt. There's a lot of telling about comics rather than a sense of that coming from inside the character. But I forgive it as a reader because Heck's belief in the magic rule of the universe (do good and nothing bad will happen to you) is utterly realistic--it makes it possible for to read his sweet, willful naiveté on the page. It raises the emotional stakes for him and makes his situation even more distressing for the reader.