As a part of the Sidekick tour, I have for you my review of the book.
Sidekick: The Misadventures of the New Scarlet Knight
Pab Sungenis
3.5 Stars: A Good Read
Paperback: 225 Pages
Publication: March 12, 2013 by Month9Books
Bobby Baines is in high school, which is bad enough. When his hero, Scarlet Knight, dies, Bobby is forced to take up his mantel. Only Scarlet Knight never had to deal with eking out a passing grade in math, keeping his fellow sidekicks in check, or stopping a giant squid from bearing down on his school and crushing everyone inside. After all, Bobby Baines is no super hero, he’s a Sidekick!
Sidekick is a fun, humor-filled read about the ups and downs of life as a superhero and the growth of one teen as he struggles to fulfill the legacy left by his predecessor. I can’t remember the last time I read a superhero book, but this is what I look for in a modern superhero book (at least, it’s one of the types): it makes fun of cheesy old superheros and introduces modern innovations, it’s fun, and there is a wide cast of lovable characters.
Bobby is your typical American teenage boy, and he knows it. He talks in a matter-of-fact way about his two lives and doesn’t make a big deal of things, unless he’s trying to make a point, which he often makes aside to readers. I enjoyed getting to know him as he searches for his identity–is he Bobby the teenage boy, or is he the new Scarlet Knight? Many superhero books are about the adventure, but this one focuses primarily on the human factor and how being a superhero impacts Bobby, morally and as an individual trying to get through high school and college apps at the same time. The only thing I felt was missing was more on Bobby’s life at school, outside of superhero work, though given his situation at the beginning of the novel I can understand why so much of this is missing.
What I do wish is that the other characters were developed just as well as Bobby. There are so many interesting characters surrounding Bobby. I would have liked to see more of them, especially the superheros and how they work together. It would also have been nice to see more mystery and tension surrounding the circumstances of the intrigue surrounding the new supervillain in town. At the same time, I feel that the lightness of this novel fits the novel overall. This is a read that didn’t have me hiding under the covers at night; rather, it made me laugh and relax. I recommend this for middle-grade readers, but this is still a fun read that readers of all ages can enjoy.
A copy was provided by Month9Books for review.
Born in the swamps of Southern New Jersey, Pab Sungenis developed a childhood fascination with cartooning and drew a daily strip for his own amusement for two years before realizing he couldn’t draw and wound up in broadcastingU. He describes his drawing ability as like that of “a mentally challenged rhinoceros on a Ny-Quil bender”, but thanks to the wonders of photo-manipulation and computer image editing, on February 8, 2006 he found himself creating The New Adventures of Queen Victoria.
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Mary Preston says
This looks like a story both my daughter & I would enjoy.
Kris Chen says
It's a really fun read. I hope you and your daughter enjoy it! 🙂