This book was a very difficult read. While the author did so many things right in the storyline it was a struggle to get through with the transphobia and strict binary talk. It was also seemed unrealistic and very rushed. This story had so much potential but I was sadly let down.

Stop relying on trans pain to teach cisgender readers! This is so frustrating to see again and again. This book had potential but we shouldn't have to read about negative reactions to coming out in order to make a point. Its 2021, this trope is old and overused. Celebrate trans joy, especially in middle grade books.

I absolutely loved this book and think that it is exactly what a lot of kids and families need. The conflict that the characters go through dealing with a parent transitioning. I enjoyed this book and would love discussing it with others.

I feel weird giving this a two star rating because the trans storyline in this book was so poorly done that it feels like it should be a one star but all the other storylines in here were done well and I don't have too much to complain about. Honestly, if the trans storyline wasn't in here this could have been a four star book. But oh well, here we are. I don't know to whom this book was directed because I would never give this to a trans person. The transphobia in this book is brutal and I don't think trans people should read that. The MC is seen as supportive of his dad just because he uses the right pronouns and doesn't deadname his dad. That's the bare minimum. It doesn't make you a great ally. Especially, when everything else you do is completely transphobic. But I feel like that was all written of because at least our MC was trying. That's also why I wouldn't recommend this for kids with trans parents. This book gives the idea that being absolutely transphobic is alright as long as you're trying. No! Also for a book that centers a trans storyline and has a gender fluid side character this book has very black and white ideas about gender. They literally mention at a certain point that the MC's dad being trans made sense in retrospect because she was a stay at home dad and that isn't a thing real mean do. Disgusting! If you take out all of that shit though you get a pretty decent middle grade novel that is clearly written by an author who usually writes YA. I quite liked the friendship dynamics and the brother's storyline was also interesting (if you take out the deeply rooted transphobia of course). There's even a small bit of discourse about how the MC has a lot of privilige compared to his brother as the MC is white (like their mother) and his brother is brown (like their father). The romance could have been cute if this book took place over a longer period of time. All the events of this book happened in 2 weeks and therefore the romance was a bit too insta-lovey. Spreading the story over more time would have also made the love interest's transition to 'I'm not ready to have a boyfriend' to dating our MC make more sense. At times the characters also felt a bit older than they were (hence why I said earlier that it was clearly written by a YA author). Even if I had my problems with the book it was a quick read and if it weren't for the trans storyline I would recommend this to people. But now it's just one big YIKES.

When I saw the synopsis of this book I was immediately interested, the premise of the story is amazing and I hadn't read yet a book that worked on this plot, so I didn't waste my time and I requested it at NetGalley.

This was my first contact with the author work, in fact I didn't even know him, I liked his writing a lot, it is fluid and and easy to follow but as much as the book pleased me a lot in those aspects there were others who bothered me a lot.

Perhaps this one can be a pleasant reading for a cis person but I don't believe that a trans person will really feel represented and embraced by, I a cis person felt uncomfortable with the way that the trans character was approached and developed imagine a trans person? Even though the book has the POV of a cisgender child who needs to adapt to the new reality of having a transgender father, it is still transphobic for me. I also believe that the dialogues and actions would fit better if the characters were 15 years old and not 13.

The book wasn't all that bad for me, the author's writing really won me and that was what really made me finish reading. Unfortunately the book fell short to my expectations but I still had a little fun with the reading.

I'm not sure how to rate this book. There were so many elements in Greatest Superpower that painfully reminded me of tropes and stereotypes used back in the early 2000s in association with LGBTQ+ representation and while I still think that every voice matters and should be heard, I also kind of am over these kinds of stories and think that we have and should have moved on from this subject matter and give a bit more hopeful narratives to readers, especially readers that belong to the LGBTQIAP+ community (me included).
There's a lot of talk about transphobia and gender binary perpetuation that rubbed me the wrong way (which, again, it should but also made me not want to pick up this book at times)
Then again, I did cry at certain times reading Sanchez's book so I can at least attest to the fact that this one's a tearjerker.
I feel like I have to sit with this for a little while longer until I can accurately understand my emotions about for example Jorge's comic because it was just overshadowed with so much other stuff going on that took all of my attention.

I received an eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just can't do this. Maybe I'll come back at another time but the amount of transphobia and strict gender binary talk in the first 50 pages is physically disgusting to me. Also the whole fact that this is a coming out story but it centers the child of the trans parent like??? Then the whole comic story line, I'm sure there's a way it could've been done, but it was poorly executed and made me very uncomfortable. Had this been more of yes Jorge's parent is trans, but then focused on whatever Jorge is doing with this comic (without the strange gender-trans story proposed) or at school it would've been much better.

I read the very last two chapters as well and I just can't with this book. Thank you netgalley for the chance but this is a Hard No from me.

I'm not sure what I think about this book. I'm seeing some red flags and although I'm all about getting books like this into kids' hands- it seemed to have a lot of tropes that maybe we're beyond as a society these days.

I absolutely adored this book. It was a delight to read. Alex Sanchez brings to light the challenge of coming out as trans as a parent and how it affects a person's family in a positive and wonderful story. I loved all the characters. This was so well written and just a joy to read. I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know and insist our library order it.

Although I liked the narrative liberties this book took, after sitting on this book for a few months now, I think it is important to emphasise that there is a lot of on-page transphobia present and that the story doesn't centre a trans-woman's voice but rather her son's.

"Greatest Superpower" made me cry a lot harder over a book than I ever thought I would.

On the outside, the Fuerte's are the perfect family, so when Jorge parents announce their divorce to him and his twin brother, Cesar, it feels like their family literally changes overnight. The reason being their dad comes out a transgender.

While I have no basis of speaking on the representation in this book I do appreciate how we see the story from Jorge's eyes. Both Jorge and Cesar are terrified about what their friends and community will say. To the point where Cesar refuses to even interact with his dad for fear of not understanding or wanting to understand.

Topics such as transitioning, transphobia, living honestly, attempted suicide, racial profiling, racism, colourism and building genuinely accepting communities are highlighted so well (note must be made that this list could also be possible trigger/content warnings). We see that although life moves on for everyone else the Fuerte's have to learn about how to cope with the divorce and what it means for them as a family unit.

I think that this book reminded me to be kinder to people. We don't know what anyone is going through and sometimes by attempting to hold it all together, people put themselves in harm's way. Jorge dad's bravery is something that I was in awe of, because even with all the fears she has, she knows that this is what is best for her in order to be a better parent to her sons and I respect that a lot.

While I didn't care so much for the relationship subplot, I think it does bring in an honest look on first relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and Capstone for providing me with a review copy of this book and all opinions above are my own.

Two brothers are told by their dad he is transgender and are confused, angry, and feel betrayed. One brother is running for class president, and the other is writing a trans- superhero comic with friends. While dealing with these situations, the brothers begin to realize that being vulnerable is difficult, but they know honesty is best. They learn to be more empathetic which can make you stronger and to never give up hope.. excellent book with some great messages.

Thank you Netgalley and Capstone for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
If I am being honest the synopsis of this book was much more interesting than the actual book itself. There were several things about this book that I found frustrating and problematic. Typically I can always understand and get on board with where the plot of the story is going. However, this book felt like something I had already read before. This book seems to follow the same trope as a lot of books written about trans characters who receive bad reactions when they come out.
Although this story is supposed to be about Jorge, it felt like Norma is in the story only to be the voice of the trans character. Everything in this story leans towards binary regardless of the fact that there is a genderfluid character! The philosophy of the "greatest superpower" is also problematic. The “greatest superpower” is only wielded by the comic book character that Jorge and his friends came up with when she literally transforms into a woman. This really felt like it sent the wrong message.

I could literally sit here and list more issues that I had with this story but I would rather not. I do understand that scenarios much like what happens in this story actually happen in real life. And there are several people who share and can relate to such a story. However, it would be nice to begin to see more stories that show a family’s support rather than portray more transphobia. I think this was written with good intentions, however it would have been wonderful to have seen this story come from a more positive perspective.

Going into this book i really didn’t know what to expect. I will say that it was very well written and it blew me away. From the characters development and the writing style. This book made me laugh and cry throughout. I learned a lot about the LGBTQ community from this book. I definitely would recommend this book to all my friends who are looking for a good heartfelt read.

{Copy provided by NetGalley}

Jorge’s life is pretty unremarkable until his parents announce they are getting divorced because one of them is transgender. What follows is a novel where the whole family adjusts to this new reality and figures a way to go forward.

I feel a little conflicted about this book. On one hand it has a whole host of queer characters beyond the transgender parent, from gay to lesbian to bisexual to genderfluid and even questioning, is relatively thoughtful in its exploration of sexuality and gender and the links between them, and discusses other issues such as racism, especially from a mixed-race perspective, and suicide.

On the other hand it is pretty uncomfortable to have a trans character constantly misgendered even though the reasons for it are understandable, and the target audience seems a bit unclear. The children, Jorge and his twin brother Cesar, as well as their friends, are 13 years old, but some of the issues and the way the adults talk to the children seems much better suited for older teenagers or even young adults.

Having a cisgender character like Jorge, a teenager with little to no prior connections to trans people, narrate the story makes his questionable views on trans issues and his transitioning parent very central to the story, although he starts being more accepting by page 50 which was a relief. This would have been a much rougher read if the narrative voice had been less accepting throughout.

But still, I couldn’t quite love this book, despite some fun characters, varied representation, and important issues. Maybe this book is more aimed at cisgender people who don’t know much about trans issues trying to understand more, but honestly it’s a bit hard to decide who this book is for. All I know that it wasn’t quite for me.

I read Alex Sanchez's Rainbow Trilogy when it first came out and loved it. He's definitely a writer with personal experience and has done a great deal to pave the way for LGBTQIA issues to be brought up in YA books. He drew on his own personal experience to write characters that were genuine and authentic.

The Greatest Superpower is about a young man named Jorge. He and his twin brother are living a pretty normal life until one night after dinner their parents announce that Jorge's father is transgender. Topics like the one in this novel definitely need to be covered. I applaud Sanchez for bringing yet another timely topic to light. 

For me, this story doesn't work because it's clear that it's written from a CISgender perspective. The reactions of people in the family to Norma coming out as transgender were quite typical and transphobic. There are times in the book when Norma is deadnamed and I think that a sensitive reader would have picked up things like that immediately.

I believe that the author made a well-meaning attempt at writing the issue from the perspective of the child of a transgender parent. I'm just not sure that the book works on that level. I appreciate the opportunity to read the book but didn't finish it.

This book is very cis... I mean truly painfully cis. The MC Jorge spends most of this trying to figure out how to be himself and be more honest with the world, which happens framed mostly by his dad coming out as trans. There's a lot of misgendering the dad, a lot of Cis Grief, lots of incredibly outdated language, and really just a lot of not great behavior passed off as 'well, it's *hard* to find out people you love are trans because cis is normal so this is an okay part of the process'.

I think if this had come out in 2005 or something, I would say it's doing more good than harm in the world, But now? It just feels like stepping into a time machine to decades ago when we were expected to be grateful to just not get hate crimed. We've come a long way from that and this whole narrative is stuck in the past. I would love to see stories about parents with children who come out later in life, but I highly suspect they need to be written by trans authors to be successful. This was definitely not that, though I suspect it had good intentions.

I don't regularly read YA, but was drawn to this book because my own child is trans and was considering it for him. Turns out that it's a bit too mature, but it's a really beautifully written book for young teens. Alex Sanchez acknowledges the unique struggles that each character faces as their beloved family member comes out as trans as an adult. It's gritty, without being gratuitous, and very tender throughout. I look forward to recommending this book!

The Greatest Superpower by Alex Sanchez is a gem. I was in a bit of a reading slump until I picked up this book, thanks to NetGalley.

This middle grades book is about comic book loving Jorge who is navigating his parents' divorce and his first crush on a girl. Jorge's parents not only announce they are getting divorced, but his father also reveals to Jorge and his twin brother Cesar that she is transgender and wishes to live as her true self.

Although this announcement is a confusing surprise to Jorge, his love for his father ultimately trumps all. Cesar, however, is angry at their dad and works to prevent Jorge from sharing the truth with his friends.

In the midst of the changes in Jorge's family life, he and his friends are trying to invent a new superhero for a comic book contest. When Jorge blurts out the idea of the superpower to gender-shift, his friends jump on board.

Conversations about the superhero contest, as well as conversations with and about Jorge's dad allow Sanchez to represent and address big ideas like gender norms and transphobia to middle school readers in ways that encourage readers to think for themselves. Although Sanchez shows the harsh reality of transphobia, he also models ways to speak openly, think openly, and act positively toward and about the transgender community.

Sanchez has created a cast of characters with depth, especially the object of Jorge's interest--Zoey. Zoey is a well-developed character who exists as a character outside of her role as the girl Jorge and his friend compete to win over. This book will surely make you laugh as much as it will open your heart and mind.

I'm going to be totally honest and say I'm not really sure how to review this. I've always enjoyed Sanchez's work and recognized the important role he plays in introducing LGBTQ characters to youth. I never read other reviews before writing one of my own but I couldn't help myself this time. As a straight, middle-aged white woman, I don't feel like I have all the tools to talk about this title. It's important to portray trans people for our youth but I'm aware there are problematic issues in this book.

Sanchez has been churning out quality YA and LGBT stories for two decades. His latest novel for tween readers presents a fresh perspective on what it's like to be the child of someone who comes out later in life. The story centers on Jorge, who is blindsided when he finds out that his father is transgender. Sanchez presents the concept of gender in an age-appropriate way that teachers and parents should appreciate. He also doesn't belabor this important aspect of the plot and develops a fairly robust set of characters that kids hopefully will want to spend time with, even with some of the heavier moral lesson moments that are inevitable in this genre. It's a solid balance of educational and entertaining to entice normally reluctant readers.