Dreadnought

This was just super wicked fun and gave me feels.

Teen trans lesbian superhero fighting supervillains with her buddy Calamity in the PNW - what else do you really want in life?! Add in terrible, terrible parents, complicated superhero politics and an interesting take on what having superpowers means = just a lot of fun. I very much looked forward to picking it up every time I had a minute to read. I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in the exploits of Danny Tozer and Calamity!

#ownvoices books are always amongst some of my faves. This one was so great. I loved Danny she was such a great character and her story captivated me!

This book is an amazing example of the transgender representation we need more of in YA. If you love superhero novels and LGBTQIAP+ books, this is for you. As I am not a huge fan of superheroes in general, I couldn't rate this book 5/5 stars, but I did still enjoy it, and will keep recommending it to everyone I know, because it was a wonderful story.

"Dreadnought" is a superhero novel with solid world-building, a well-developed protagonist and a fun cast of supporting characters, on top of that the novel also is written and paced very well and I'm already looking forward to part two.

The novel mostly focuses on Danny coming to terms with her new powers and her new body and how other people react to her finally being who she wants and is meant to be, but the story also offers some great action scenes for fans of the traditional superhero narrative. I thought Danny's relationship with her parents was really well-done, but I would have hoped for a few more layers for some of the other characters, but there is of course still time for that in the next installment of the series.

The ending was a little abrupt for my tastes but only because I wouldn't have minded for the story to go on a little while longer. There are enough plot threads and relationships left to explore in part two which I hope to read sooner rather than later.

A 15 year old is out near a mall painting toenails when a building nearby starts to explode. Danny, that 15 year old, groans when noticed that the explosions involve supers (superhero/supervillain fight).

Danny tries to hide. Office tower where the fight is occurring continues to explode. A body lands near Danny's hiding spot and Danny tries to pull him into hiding. That body being the superhero known as Dreadnought. Dreadnought shoves a glowing ball at Danny.

Danny is kind of knocked out and when comes to is . . . different than before.

<b>Characters</b>
<u>Daniel/Dannielle 'Danny' Tozer</u> is a 15 year old who has known for at least 7 years that they have been trapped in the wrong body - that of a young man. For Danny isn't a young man, but a young woman (hence the secretly hiding near a mall painting toenails that started the book). Danny has a best friend named David, goes to school, and has two living <spoiler>barely</spoiler> functional parents. It is very quickly learned, though, that the father has been quite verbally abusive of his child for a very long time and Danny has been shaped by this abuse.

<u>Supers</u> - Danny interacts with several supers after the 'change' - namely the ones that belong to Legion Pacifica (the same superhero team Dreadnought was on, and the one that appears to be the team in the Northwestern part of the USA (if I have the borders right)). Members of Legion Pacifica include: Valkyrja (the vaguely Wonder Woman one), Carapace (vaguely Iron Man like - based entirely on the fact the guy wears a metal suit and for no other reason), Doc Impossible, Chlorophyll (half plant, half man), Magma, Graywytch (super negative about the who transgender thing).

<u>Grayscapes</u> - those sups who are not white capes ('good guys') or black capes ('bad guys') and fall somewhere in between. Of these include a young woman of roughly the same age as Danny named 'Calamity' whose outfit consists of guns and looking like a cowgirl.

<u>Black scapes</u> - Utopia. Mistress Malice.

<b>School-age 'Friends'</b> - David - best friend for a while now who is kind of taken with the concept of starring at breasts; Sarah - a friendly young woman meet when Danny ended up in the women's restroom at school.

<b>Plot</b>
A fight occurs. Dreadnought dies. Power transfers and in the transfer a change occurs to the person who receives this power. A person trapped in the male body finds themselves in the body of a female. And they are 15. With parents. Disagreeable parents. Did I mention the 15 year old part yet? Big part - teenage-hood is hard enough, toss in feelings of self loathing (somewhat pressed inward from abusive father), feelings of being trapped (in wrong body), and then add in some changes. And positive or negative consequences of said changes.

<b>Overall</b>
Right off the bat the book reminds me of two other young adult superhero prose books/series I've read. The <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/series/154845-action-figures>Action Figures</a> series by Michael C. Bailey, and <a href=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31698951-not-your-sidekick>Not Your Sidekick</a>. Though there's a closer parallel to 'Action Figures' - both involve young teenagers who unexpectedly come into power, come to the attention of a superhero group, and still have to deal with school, friends, and parents. Completely different 'vibe' though between this book and Action Figures.

There's a specific reason I thought of 'Not Your Sidekick' - but I can't recall what that reason is now. Though the word 'sidekick' is used once (not that 'Not Your Sidekick' is actually about a sidekick so. . . ).

And, this is the overall section after all, overall the plot that unfolds in this book is a touch .... not sure what wording to use here. A touch stronger? Than those found in the Action Figures series, and the Not Your Sidekick series.

There's a certain level of frustration, for me as a reader, since I am not sure I actually remember what the age '15' actually means. I assume, since I appear to be living life linearly, that I was that age at some point. So there were certain frustrating moments related to this book being focused on a 15 year old, yet, on the other hand, there was a certain heightened level of patience within me that I haven't allowed myself in a while - because I know I'm reading something about a character living life at an age I do not really remember. So, good and bad there. More patience, still a certain amount of frustration. (heh, I just took the time to do the quick math, I'm almost there, but I'm not actually at the point where I could have had a kid when I was 15, who, in turn, had a kid when they were 15, since that would make me 45. Or something like that).

I know I'm not wording my point very well. So let's just leave it at: events occurred in this book that I had certain issues with until I recalled that I was dealing with a 15 year old individual, and not someone a lot older. Naive comes to mind.

Right, forgot I was supposed to be doing an overall - I liked the interactions between the characters that I saw, which is, I know, a weird thing to say, considering the relationships that are revealed. Good solid lead character. Which is good since this is a first person account.

This is not my first transgender book I've read, though it is the first that I've read told from the point of view of a youngster. I believe that the issue was handled well in the book, though I'm not really in a position to say yea or nay on that.

I liked the book and look forward to more works by this author. I would give this book a rating of 4.26.

October 19 2016

Danny Tozer just wanted to look on the outside like the girl she was inside, but puberty and high school got in the way. She was grabbing a bit of solace, painting her toenails behind the mall when a thunderclap of violence sounded in the sky.

When superheroes and supervillians fight, it's time for regular humans to take cover. She wanted nothing to do with it, but superhero Dreadnought fell right in front of her, with a hole in his chest. He apologized as he lay dying, and Danny was surrounded by a white light.

When the light dimmed, Danny discovered that not only did her outside now match her inside, she had the powers of Dreadnought. He'd passed the mantle on to her. As if high school wasn't enough to contend with, now she has to learn to navigate the world of Capes--that is, superpowered people and vigilantes--with all it's rules and pitfalls.

She barely feels comfortable in her own skin--how is she going to live up to Dreadnought's legacy?

Dreadnought is an #ownvoices book about a trans teenage superhero, and all the baggage that comes with being both trans and a kid with enhanced abilities. Danny really struggles with getting the confidence to love herself, and by the end of the book, you're cheering and wishing you could give her a hug. The book speaks with an authentic voice about the character's experiences in being trans and living in an abusive situation. Danny has her dark moments, but the book overall glows with a relentless optimism and some kickass superhero fight scenes. It's the superhero book we need, and the superhero book we deserve. It's got a lotta heart, and it's a lotta fun.

This book is phenomenal. It's a breath of fresh air. It's superhero fantasy mixed with queer YA. Danny is a closeted trans girl who gets caught up in a superhero fight. The altercation somehow gives her superpowers and transforms her into what she's always wanted to be: a physical female. Now she has to figure out how to explain the change to her friends and family all while keeping the powers a secret.

There's tons of transphobia/xenophobia/general biogtry in the book that Danny encounters (and sometimes battles). She is a lesbian trans woman, so she faces a fair share of harassment/disrespect, (mostly from friends and family) but for the most part, she shuts it all down hard.

I loved the growth of Danny throughout the book. She is thrown into the fire (literally at one point) and comes out stronger for it. And she had her new best friend (Calamity) and "gay aunt character" (Doc Impossible) to help her along the way.

I was moved quite a lot by this book because a lot of it hit close to home. I'm a pansexual trans woman. I have a mostly supportive family, so I'm not in the same boat as Danny there, but a lot of her fears were my fears. A lot of her thoughts were my thoughts.

REPRESENTATION MATTERS.

This book shows that trans people are capable of saving the world just like cis people. As are gay people. Cishets are fine and good, but have been on the main stage for far too long. Give us queer folk a chance to save the world now! We got this!

Good story - great to read a story with a trans superhero.

I loved this book so much!! It was very well-written, and so engaging I could hardly manage to put it down until I'd finished it. Dreadnought by April Daniels is awesome. It's about a trans girl superhero and it's written by a trans woman.

This is inclusive, gripping young adult fiction at it's best. The start lulls you into a false sense of security and ease, after the first few chapters I thought the biggest struggle in this book would be some superhero lessons and dealing with the fallout at school and home of coming out as trans. However, you're pulled along this emotional ride as the novel progresses.

This is a must read and one of my new favorites!! I have recommended this book to so many students and they all love it. We have been needing a hero like Danny for a long time! Get this into the hands of your superhero fans, your LGBTQ students, and your fantasy readers...they will thank you for it!!