100 Books Like Heroes

I fell in love with these two brothers, Link and Hud, but I couldn’t help asking myself what I would do if I were one of their long line of failed babysitters. Their energy and hi-jinks would challenge anyone. At the same time those same characteristics make Link and Hud loveable and memorable. Never underestimate the creativity and intelligence of a child.

I hope all kids will embrace their imaginations and childhood years to have grand adventures. I loved the mix of comic book storytelling inserted within passages of text. 

Jack Briglio’s main character, Logan, is non-verbal and autistic. There are many scary things for him in the world, like clowns, but Logan has learned to cope by becoming the superhero ThunderBoom. By wearing this identity and acting it out, Logan learns he’s a little bit super, too.

The graphic novel format is perfect for a story about a non-verbal boy. The pictures fill in where words can’t come out of Logan’s mouth. I found this book to be moving, and it opened a window for me to see inside the heart of a very special boy.

Portico Reeves tries hard to escape the “mean time.” When his parents are fighting, he retreats to his fantastical castle home, where he becomes Stuntboy to protect everyone who dwells within. But as often happens when our fantasy flights bump into our reality, Portico gets a bad case of the frets.

I admire how Jason Reynolds tackles a serious issue with a framework of fun, complete with humorous commercial breaks. I could relate to Portico’s dilemma and was rooting for him all the way. I hope kids will read this and realize their parents’ “mean time” is not their fault, and it’s not their job to stop the fighting.

Olive is sent away to RASCH, a private school on an island in the San Francisco Bay. There, she befriends a girl named Phil, who shares her love of "Meggie and Her Fun Family" comics. I’m not sure Meggie qualifies as a “superhero” per se. All we know is Meggie has something Olive thinks she’s always wanted, and isn’t that the allure of most superhero stories?

Olive has never fit in at the many schools she’s attended. She sees the world in a different way. I enjoy stories about smart girls who start out as misfits and eventually find their place in the world—and just maybe that place for Olive is still a place called misfit, and that’s okay so long as she’s not alone.

Yee and Santat form a strong team in bringing this delightful story to life. Their cast of misfits are kids I’d like to hang… show more.

This book is a compelling and powerful WWII novel that vividly captures the chaos and courage of December 7, 1941, the day the first woman, Lieutenant Annie Fox, was awarded the Purple Heart.

I was particularly moved by how it balanced the heroism of Annie’s relentless dedication in her role as Chief Nurse at Hickam Field with the harsh reality of prejudice that she faced later. Page after page, I was pulled into this gripping read that sheds light on both the valor of these unsung heroes and the darker sides of history. 

I loved this book for its unique blend of history and adventure. The novel transports readers to three friends in two eras, joined by a mystical radio—connecting the two generations: one before WWII and one many years later. The novel masterfully layers the past and present, weaving together humor and tragedy, secrets that refuse to stay buried.

The atmosphere is haunting and believable, capturing the weight of how few steps it could take to turn our world into a familiar nightmare. Westallen is a beautifully written, thought-provoking story that explores time travel, friendship, courage, and forgiveness. 

I was surprised I loved Just for the Summer so much. I’d never read Abby Jimenez before, but I was delightfully surprised. How could you not love that both Justin and Emma have a love curse hanging over their heads? The person they date goes on to find their one true love. So why not date each other and break the curse? The premise is not only original, but the situations she brings to this are hilarious. Like the Toilet King billboard. I now need a Toilet King T-shirt.

The characters are charming, loving people—people I wanted to see have their happily ever after. The secondary characters are just as lovable and realistic. I loved this book, though, because of the realism of their predicaments. They lived through problems that weren’t sugar-coated.

I fell off the Ewan McEwan wagon for several years. 

Why? His sentences are gorgeous and impeccable but sometimes his plots seemed glitchy to me or his research was too in your face. But, Lessons! It’s one of those books that has so much of the world in it, while at the same time the characters are deep, vivid, flawed (yes, indeed), and the scenes intense and unforgettable. 

The clarity of his thinking and his understanding of politics, the eras we’ve lived through, the confusion of emotions we suffer from, and the way people fail each other as well as show up—I clutch this book to my heart.  

I have read this book by Alma Katsu three times now. About the often-forgotten period in US history where American citizens of Japanese and Okinawan blood were locked up in internment camps, Alma does a fabulous job of telling the story without picking sides.

From an Asian-mixed family myself, I could see aspects of my relationship with my mother mixed in the story. A brilliant blend of historical events and elements of Japanese folklore, Alma’s skillful storytelling not only entertains but also educates, shedding light on a dark period in American history when the humanity of certain groups was unjustly questioned because of their race.

This book is more than just a dark story; it explores identity, demonization, and the human spirit's resilience. 

Shockingly, it wasn’t until taking an Asian-American History class in college that I learned about the US internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. My husband is Japanese-American, and so I now also have family who experienced this shameful time in our history firsthand.

Evergreen is the second book in Naomi Hirahara’s Japantown Mystery series, the first being Clark and Division. It takes place during post-WWII and centers around Aki (a nurse’s aide) and her family's struggles after being released from Manzanar in 1946. This backdrop and its inherent social injustices are adeptly interwoven with a murder mystery happening in Little Tokyo.

In itself, this is a compelling combination of mystery and historical fiction. But it's also a morally significant book, and I'm so glad that Naomi Hirahara was the one to write it.