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.

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.

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.

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 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.

The book starts with a divorce that came out of nowhere. Later on we find out why the main character his parents are breaking up. His dad is transgender and finally decided to go through with it. At first, when reading this book, I became somewhat annoyed by the characters their reactions to this situation. However, looking back on it, when I was 13 years old, everything seemed like the end of the world. The reactions were well written out and there was no glossing things over things. Coming out can be scary and especially the negative reactions were highlighted in this book, which kind of made me sad. Not all coming outs are negative, and reading more towards the end of the book you'll find some people who react positively. The writer did an extremely good job at portraying a 13 year old living through this situation and how they'd handle it. I liked how the writer portrayed both the good and bad sides from coming out. The character development in this book was okay, although for some characters such as cesar somewhat lacking (in my opinion). Overall I'd give this book a 3.5/5. It was a quick read and left me satisfied at the end.
Thank you for this book and it's message to the world. Be who you are, how difficult it may be.

I used to read Alex Sanchez when I was in middle school and have really fond memories of his Rainbow boys series. Seeing that he was releasing a book after what felt like forever to me, I wanted to see how I would like his books now as an adult. While it was an easy read to get through, I wouldn’t say I loved it. The story centres around Jorge's dad coming out as a woman, Norma, and how Jorge and his family learn to accept Norma. Keeping the demographic of this book in mind, I could see how important it would be for kids to read books with trans parents, but I was very surprised with some of the choices the author made.

For example, when Norma came out, it seemed like the mom was supportive of the decision, but at the same time she would misgender Norma and apparently never went to visit her when she moved out. I also feel like instead of Jorge helping Norma learn how to put on makeup and walk in heels, it should have been the mom. That would actually show readers that the mom is supportive of Norma. As well, I understand that the author may have wanted to subvert the trope that trans people are lying to their partners when they enter relationships by having the mom already know that Norma was trans before they get married, but that just made me dislike the mom even more. I don’t understand why she married Norma anyway knowing that she was trans and told Norma that she would leave if she ever came out.

There is a love triangle in the book. I’m not a huge fan of those, especially not when they’re between best friends, but thankfully it didn’t last long in the book. I liked Zoey, Jorge’s girlfriend, at first but I can’t believe she actually broke up with Jorge because he didn’t tell her his dad was trans soon enough. For Jorge’s friends to keep pressuring him to tell her just didn’t sit right with me either. If I’m understanding this right, it’s been at most a month or two since he found out about his dad so he’s still processing it himself. I don’t think he even really came to terms with it until the very end of the novel. The mom mentioned therapy once to Jorge, but dropped it when he didn’t want to and never mentioned it again. I wish it was revisited later on in the book.

Surprisingly, I actually really liked Cesar and I kind of wish he was the main character. He was definitely more aggressive and clearly showed his upset feelings about Norma with the silent treatment and door slamming, but that’s what would have made it more interesting: to see how a character with so much anger learns to accept Norma as his dad. Jorge is probably the more relatable brother for readers, but compared to his girlfriend drama, I was much more interested in Cesar’s experience with racism. When we find he used whitening cream and had gotten racially profiled by the police, his need for perfection and anger towards Norma all made so much sense at least to me. As a person of colour, I wanted to hear about these experiences from his point of view instead of second-hand from Jorge.

Lastly, the transphobia doesn’t really get addressed ever. There’s a particularly intense scene where Norma is physically threatened and nothing comes out of it at all. It made me feel a bit hopeless, like there was just nothing that could be done and that’s not the message I would want to give to kids. Yes, in the end Jorge and his family learn to love and accept Norma for who she is, but I wish at least some of the transphobia got addressed.

Overall, it was predictable at times. It didn’t go as in-depth into some issues like racism as much as I would have liked. It gives a good message about family, but not such a great one about society. It was an average read for me.

I'm giving it a one star because I can't download the file to read on my kindle.
If I can read it later, I'll send you another review.

Middle school is hard enough to navigate, but twin brothers, Jorge's and Cesar's lives are upended when their parents announce their divorce because their father is transgender. Cesar is very popular at school and running for class president and fears their classmates finding out will cost him the election and his beautiful, popular girlfriend. Jorge, the quiet, shy one, struggles to make sense of his father's transition and slowly begins to accept her in her new role in his life as Norma, his father....not Norberto, his papa.

I loved the perspective of Jorge throughout the book as he learns to be honest with his friends, deal with his twin brother's anger, his mother's sadness, the adversity Norma faces as her transition becomes public and the regular middle school drama. Sanchez gently opens the reader's eyes to the struggle a transgender person feels, and how it affects a family. As an aside this book also touches racial discrimination. This book needs to be in the hands of kids! I think there is enough material for Sanchez to write a sequel....I can only hope that is under consideration!

Out of the blue, Jorge and Cesar's parents announce that they are getting a divorce, at least that is how it seems to them. They are 15 year old twins and they are shocked. Jorge has always been close with his dad but when he announces that he is moving out into a house nearby that rocks his world. Then when his dad announces to the family that he will soon be transitioning into a woman called Norma that is an even bigger shock. This is the story of what happens to the relationships in the family, about love conquering all and friendship, with people who understand you and will help you through your troubles.

I really loved the relationships in the family, between Jorge's mum and dad, with each other, and with the boys. The chats they had were lovely, warm and felt very real. I loved the diversity and the way that Jorge's friends accepted Norma. I loved how it wasn't all plain sailing and I thought the issues were dealt with sensitively. With any book about transgender characters there are always community members who will find a book inauthentic. What I want is for there to be books with characters dealing with issues about rainbow families and characters and for there to be lots of them. So, for me, this book is a win.