Hero - Hardcover

Moore, Perry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1423101952 ISBN 13: 9781423101956

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2007

Synopsis

Thom Creed is used to being on his own.  Even as a highschool basketball star, he has to keep his distance because of his father.  Hal Creed had once been one of the greatest and most beloved superheroes of The League--until the Wilson Towers incident.  After that Thom's mother disappeared and his proud father became an outcast.   The last thing in the world Thom would ever want is to disappoint his father.  So Thom keeps two secrets from him:  First is that he's gay.  The second is that he has the power to heal people.  Initially, Thom had trouble controlling his powers.  But with trail and error he improves, until he gets so good that he catches the attention of the League and is asked to join.  Even though he knows it would kill his dad, Thom can't resist.  When he joins the League, he meets a motely crew of other heroes, including  tough-talking Scarlett, who has the power of fire from growing up near a nuclear power plant; Typhoid Larry, who makes everyone sick by touching them, but is actually a really sweet guy; and wise Ruth, who has the power to see the future.  Together these unlikely heroes become friends and begin to uncover a plot to kill the superheroes.   Along the way, Thom falls in love, and discovers the difficult truth about his parents' past.  This is a moving, funny, and wonderfully original novel that shows that things are not always what they seem, and love can be found in the unlikeliest of places. 

About this title

About the Author:

Perry Moore is the Executive Producer ofThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. HERO, his first novel, was inspired by his own adolescence, growing up as a gay teen in a southern, Christian household with his father, a Vietnam veteran.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 9 Up—At the same time that he's coming to terms with his sexual orientation, basketball star Thom Creed is trying to figure out exactly what his untrained superpowers can do. In an attempt to break away from his seemingly non-understanding father (an ex-hero with something to hide) and homophobic community, Thom runs away, only to find himself in the middle of a multi-hero rescue operation. Using his ability to heal, he keeps an injured woman alive until the League superheroes arrive and impresses them enough to get an invitation to try out for a hero apprentice position. Thom is teamed with an old woman who can see into the future, a spiteful girl who unleashes her power through fire, a sickly boy who is able to inflict disease on anyone, and a demoted hero with insane speed. With superheroes dying in mysterious circumstances, Thom is forced to admit publicly that he is gay in order to prevent a miscarriage of justice, but finds himself cast out of the League. He organizes his ragtag team to figure out what is really going on and to fight society's prejudices as well as the criminal element of the town. The story tackles love, friendship, and the eternal struggle to come to terms with who we really are in a tactful, interesting, and well-developed manner. Although the beginning is a little slow, there are subtle hooks that will keep readers' interest, and once the action picks up, Hero becomes a real page-turner that is worth the wait.—Dylan Thomarie, Johnstown High School, NY
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About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1423101952
• ISBN 13: 9781423101956
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 432