This was an interesting read! I started out not knowing a ton about the plot and was pulled in early on. Additionally, I really love the cover for this book!

This book is a great middle grade read that presents trans identity in an complex and complicated way. The lack of resolution for some of the hatred was a bit disturbing for me, and I really had a hard time with the twin brother and there was a lot there unresolved. This story aims to tackle a lot through a MG lens, and where it is underdeveloped in areas, it is an important text.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It gave good insight into what it would be like to learn that one of your parents is transgender & the fears that go along with that for a kid. the book provides a powerful message for each person to know their truth and speak their truth no matter what. The most important thing we can do for our loved ones is be honest with them and ourselves.

Books about transgender folks from the perspective of cis people are tricky. These stories are necessary--there are certainly straight cis kids with trans parents who may need help navigating that transition while dealing with their own hormones and middle school dramas. But when the story does little to challenge the cis perspective, I think it does a disservice to trans folks who are ultimately the ones who need and deserve these stories more. 

CW: transphobia, deadnaming, misgendering, homophobia, bullying, racism, mentions of attempted suicide, body dysmorphia

This story is about Jorge and his twin brother Cesar learning that their dad is transgender and has decided to transition, which leads their parents to divorce and their dad to move out. (Note: Norma uses she/her pronouns and still wants to be called Dad even after transitioning).

For a book ultimately about accepting your transgender parent, there felt like a surplus of transphobia, even from Jorge, who was the only member of the family to accept Norma for most of the book. Unfortunately, the way that the family in this story reacts is common. Norma, and all trans people, deserve better. How can cis people learn to do better when our stories don't show them? Norma is Latinx and therefore more likely to be killed for being transgender. Norma and all trans folks, but especially transgender women of color, need stories that more clearly affirm their validity and right to exist.

The story is about Jorge, but it felt as though Norma exists solely to be trans, and to show Jorge that women have redeeming qualities, too. Everything in this story is very binary--despite there also being a genderfluid character! Women are soft and empathetic and wear dresses, and men are macho and hit things. The "greatest superpower" of empathy and being able to talk things out is wielded by the comic book character that Jorge and his friends come up with--but she is only able to wield that power when she literally transforms into a woman. 

Norma was deadnamed a few times, and it never felt necessary to the story. I think deadnaming like this is a harmful reinforcement of the idea that it's ok to do so.

I was also frustrated by the way Jorge felt pressured to "come out" to his friends and crush as having a transgender parent, and is even shamed for "keeping it a secret." But Norma's feelings are never considered. Was she ready to be out to Jorge's friends? It didn't seem to matter to anyone. Of course, Norma embraced her life quickly and at some points herself expressed that Jorge should tell his friends, but the conflict about whether or not to tell people felt so very self-centered in a way that was never really discussed. It should have started as Norma's express decision whether or not to be out, and then Jorge should have considered her safety and comfort more than his own fears--or at least realized that that's what he should have been doing all along. 

There was a pretty diverse cast of characters here, which is always nice to see, though I don't think it was done particularly well. Jorge is white but his twin brother and dad are brown and each battle internalized racism and colorism. Jorge's half-Chinese (good!) best friend is named Chang (bad!), and his half-Jamaican (good!) best friend's weight is constantly mentioned (bad!). There is a genderfluid character (good!), but does nothing to challenge the binary system or help Jorge challenge his binary thinking (big missed opportunity!). Jorge can't imagine still liking his crush (who is Black) if she were trans, and Jorge's mother married Norma despite knowing Norma was trans--and then decided to divorce Norma once she decided to transition because she doesn't like girls (???).

Overall, I think the book and the author had a lot of heart and a lot of good intentions, but it just missed the mark.

I really enjoyed reading The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A story of Jorge and his family adjusting to his parents divorcing because his dad is transgender. A shock that Jorge and his brother are really struggling with. I loved how real these characters felt and this family having hard conversations together. I would recommend this book for Grade 6 and up. @alexsanchez @netgalley #GreatestSuperpower Themes include: first crush, comic books, anger, brothers, family, truth

Jorge and Cesar's differing reactions when their dad comes out as transgender feels authentic, and I appreciated the evolution of each boy's relationship with Norma as the book progresses. The author tackles transphobia and racism in this novel, however some of it felt a bit heavy-handed - every character is "half" something (a fact that is brought up repeatedly - to show the diversity of the characters, perhaps...), for example. Overall, this book is appropriate for middle school readers.

I had a couple of issues with that book. The worst one would be death naming and the view of a still binary gender system.
However, this book is intended for middle school. I guess I should consider it a victory that the main character is trans, therefore bringing more diversity towards the shelf. And she's also Latina? Double win on diversity and representation!

TW: Transphobia, racial and transphobic slurs.

I received a free ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I got an ARC of this book.

Two things I need to state before I get into reviewing this book: I am trans and I have been a fan of Alex Sanchez since I was in late middle school/early high school.

This book is trash.

That honestly could be the whole review. I am so tired of cis people writing “trans” stories. This book is so much “woe is me, my life is over because of a trans person” that I am just sick. I couldn’t even finish the book. 200 pages in and the main character is the only accepting one of the family and he is constantly being transphobic.

This book could have existed without the trans plot that is supposedly the main plot, but isn’t. The trans character only appears when the plot starts dragging. The trans character only speaks to speak about being trans. Her entire existence is to be trans. BULL FUCKING SHIT. This adds nothing to the plot. It adds nothing to the characters. It takes the place of a trans author writing about an actual trans story. This is not an over reaction either. So many queer people self publish, because publishers don’t pick up their stories. When I was coming out as trans and trying to find stories about me, my options were all written by cis men. So many cis people can’t write trans people (Sanchez) and so many don’t want to write real trans people (Rowling).

I don’t think Sanchez was being malicious, but this book should not have been published with the trans plot. The book would have been a fun middle grade book if it weren’t for the terrible trans plot. Dog dancing and a brother who is ashamed of being dark? SIGN ME UP. I was a huge fan, I kept trying to look past the trans plot that was never ending bullshit. Sanchez has made me excuse terrible ideas before, like his terrible attempts at trying to write a lesbian character (do you remember it? The “majestic whale tail” comment in another of his books. That was good writing compared to this). This book is just no, because Sanchez made a trans story all about the cis people and can barely even do that.

I didn’t even touch on the abusive brother, the racism, the fatphobia, and the complete rip-off of The Dog Whisperer. Just know that is how strongly the trans rep was messed up.

I think this book is important as it is for a younger age group than you typically see for fiction including trans characters. It's definitely a good read for those with family members or friends transitioning.

This is a bit hard to review because of many things so I will start by what I liked about this book. The writing was very easy to follow and the plot was very interesting. The main character is Jorge, thirteen years old, one of twin brothers in a Mexican-american family. Jorge looks exactly like his white mom with light skin and blue eyes, while Cesar, his brother, looks like their Mexican dad, darker skin and dark eyes. I loved reading about how life was different for each of them because of how they looked. It pained me to read some passages. I wanted only to hug Cesar, even when he was being pretty rude to their dad.

The main plot line of the book is that the parents are getting a divorce and that the reason is their dad is transgender and she finally wanted to live her life as the woman she always knew she was. At first I was furious with the kids; they were so rude, verbally violent, and kept misgendering their dad. I had to calm myself and put myself in their shoes. They were caught off guard and had a lot of anger and resentment towards their dad who reveals herself to be totally different from who they were used to. But it kept bothering me. Jorge is more willing to understand so he goes often to his dad's house and I love when he started referring to his dad as she/her. It felt like a such a huge step. His brother wasn't that understanding and I really got were he was coming from. It still hurt because their dad waited long enough to be who she really wanted to be, and not having the support of your family must've been really hard.

As much as this seemed to be the main focus of the story, it was truly about Jorge coming to terms with change, having his first real crush and first girlfriend, and navigating school and friends while having all these secrets he was afraid to reveal.

I was thirteen a really long time ago and my generation didn't have all these support for whoever "dared" to be different in the society. I really liked how the author introduced the diversity and the different identities and sexualities among Jorge's group of friends, and also in his family. I liked it.

Teens can be very whiny, we all have been, I'm sure of that. So if you don't lose your patient at Jorge not communicating openly what he feels and whining about things that could be solve easily if he just talked, then this book is something you will really want to read.

DNF @50%

I can’t speak personally about the representation, but just getting through this much of the book made me feel so gross and uncomfortable. Not to mention, the way the main character has to constantly point out how Asian his friend (named Chang?) is and how fat is other friend is. Like that’s not a good look, especially a book aimed at children.

It’s a big yikes from me.

*uncorrected proof provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Alex Sanchez gives a unique view on LBGTQ+ with the empowering process of coming out. The Greatest Superpower is such an eye opening experience that can only be explained as an emotional roller coaster to a new reality. I encourage this story for all who need inspiration for the hurt that will always remain.

As a transgender person myself, this book hits all the basics. I love the way this story s told and for many people, it's true. This book itself is REALLY emotional and I feel like the cover might make parents think it's something totally different. The only reason I am giving it 4/5 stars is because of the cover but besides that, this book is truly a work of art!

The Greatest Superpower is about this young cisgender boy, Jorge, struggling with being a teen and having his dad come out as a transgender woman. I want to give this book 3.5 stars because it is almost there on some points but absolutely misses the point in others. I think the characterization of Jorge and his brother, Cesar, is very well fleshed out and I appreciate seeing the story from the point of view of Jorge being a young teen. I love the overarching theme of being true to yourself and if other people are upset about it, that's on them not you.

However, when talking about or describing Jorge and Cesar's dad, it feels very much like a caricature of what cisgender people perceive transgender people to look or act like. And while I very much appreciated her as a character as a whole, something about her and her storyline just felt very not authentic to me.

Overall: ✰✰✰✰.5 Characters: ✰✰✰✰ Plot: ✰✰✰✰✰
TW: mentions of suicide attempt/cutting, transphobia
Jorge Fuerte is a normal 13 year old boy focused on writing comics with his friends and worrying about girls. That is, until his parents announce him and his twin brother that they’re getting a divorce. And there’s something else that they never saw coming: their dad comes out as transexual.
I usually don’t read middle grade books because they end up being boring for me, but this one had me hooked from the beginning. I read it in one sitting because it was really fast paced and there was so much happening so I just needed to know what would happen next.
The diversity in this book is simply immaculate, and it is explained in such a simple way which ended up teaching me a lot about different sexualities. While the main character himself is straight and cis, his close relationship to her dad gives you a very clear image of how hard it is to deal with being trans and what it means to keep it hidden and then come out.
I feel like this book should be read by everyone. It teaches very important lessons, and it’s fun and entertaining. I honestly was surprised by this book because I thought i was not going to like it, but ended up loving it. Definitely a must read and a book I’ll recommend to everyone from now on.

Overall I enjoyed this story. It was heartwarming and character driven and seemed like an accurate way that an 8th grader would process divorce, a parent coming out as trans, friendship drama, and first relationships. I liked that the parents and other adults in both Jorge and Cesar’s lives gave helpful and empathetic guidance. I enjoyed reading a story about a family who was realistically trying to navigate their new dynamic, and even though it was more difficult for some characters than others, they were still committed to each other’s happiness and well being.

This was a heartwarming middle grade book about a boy coming to terms with his dad being transgender. While it does have its lighter moments, it deals with some tougher themes such as transphobia, racism, and body dysmorphia.

There were some things I definitely enjoyed about this book. For one, this book had diverse representation including transgender, gender fluid, gay, and biracial characters. I also appreciated that this book showed the perspective of a child who's parent is trans and seeing the main character come to accept his dad (that's what she prefers to be called). Also, this book involved a lot of dogs and that always brings me joy.

As much as I enjoyed this book though, I had a few things that I wasn't super fond of. For one, the kids in this book are supposed to be going in to 8th grade but they seemed more like high schoolers to me. I also thought a couple scenes that I thought were a little much for a middle school book. For example, there's a scene where someone explains a graphic suicide attempt. There's also a scene where a boy explains finding the dead body of a child and how disfigured it looked. I can understand topics such as suicide and death being mentioned in middle grade books, but the delivery of these topics just felt a bit heavy in my opinion. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a young adult book with middle school characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that touches on some important themes. I appreciate a middle grade book centering around a trans parent and I think that should be more common in books of that genre. However, this book had a few things that didn't work for me personally and ended up just being okay in my eyes. I still recommend this book, I just think readers should be aware of some of the darker themes handled in it before reading.

TW: transphobia, racism, abuse, misgendering, self harm, attempted suicide, body dysmorphia

Thank you to Netgalley and Capstone Publishing for giving me this eARC in exchange for an honest review

This is the most diverse book I've read so far this year. This family read is fun and loving ; a perfect book to help kids learn more about the LGBT+ community. I would include a content warning for the talk of suicide but otherwise this book is perfect.

Jorge’s summer is rocked with the news that his parents with the perfect marriage are getting a divorce. The reason? His father is transgender and wants to transition.

Dad is Jorge’s hero and this news throws him completely - can he still love his father when he isn’t his father anymore?

Focusing on the mother, she doesn’t seem to be the most supportive person in the world, marrying Jorge’s dad knowing they were trans but then insisting on a divorce when they came out. I feel like Jorge is portrayed really well navigating the new challenges he is faced with but his mother, very much not.

This book has charm and features a wide range of BIPOC characters which is refreshing to see, but I feel the transgender focus of the story could have been handled better.

Review by Lisa Pineo

*I received this eARC from Capstone via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

My ratings: * I hated it ** It was okay *** I liked it **** Really good ***** Great
TW (trigger warnings): Transphobia

Jorge Fuerte finds out how powerful friends, family and the truth can be in Alex Sanchez's newest middle grade novel, “The Greatest Superpower.” 4.5 stars

Description from the publisher:
"It’s the summer before high school, and  thirteen-year-old Jorge Fuerte wants nothing more than to spend his days hanging out with his fellow comic-book obsessed friends. But then everything changes. His parents announce they’re divorcing for a reason Jorge and his twin brother, Cesar, never saw coming— their larger-than-life dad comes out as transgender. Jorge struggles to understand the father he’s always admired, but Cesar refuses to have anything to do with him. As Jorge tries to find a way to stay true to the father he loves, a new girl moves into the neighborhood: cool, confident, quirky Zoey. She tames Jorge’s unruly terrier and enlists the terrier and Jorge in a dance routine for the back-to-school talent show. As the date of the show draws near, Jorge must face his fears and choose between being loyal to his brother or truthful about his family’s secret. Although he’s no superhero, Jorge already has the world’s greatest superpower—if he decides to use it."

I really liked this book. I know other reviewers have found the book problematic that the transphobia not only comes from outside the family but also inside, but I think this adds to the honest and realistic portrayal of a father coming out as transgender in adulthood. Jorge and his twin brother have very different reactions to their father transitioning and both are true to how sons might feel when having their lives turned upside down like that. I also liked how Jorge's parents were getting a divorce, even though they still both loved each other, because his mom didn't want to be married to a woman. Again, a very honest look at how two adults might react to this situation. Aside from the big secret in the family I also thought the subplot of Jorge and Zoey was very sweet and Jorge trying to conquer his fear of being in the spotlight tied up nicely. Well-developed characters, a diverse plot and people living their truth make this a highly recommended middle grade read.