My Brother is a Superhero by David Solomons

Any serious comic book aficionado can probably tell you the backstory of most of the main superheroes and probably a few of the other lesser known ones as well so well known is the mythology behind these fictional characters. The proliferation of summer blockbuster films has also helped propel the characters into the zeitgeist.

In some of the superhero-themed novels I have read, the main character acquires some sort of superpower and then has to learn to use it but My Brother is a Superhero however is different because, true to the title, the main character's older brother is the one given powers.

Luke is an ordinary kid who likes comic books a whole lot. He hangs out with Serge, a French kid who is always hungry. Life is normal for him until one night when while hanging out in their tree house his older brother Zack is given super powers.  As if that wasn't bad enough, Zack gets really cool powers and he soon turns into the city's hero despite the fact that (in Luke's mind anyway) his chosen name of Star Guy is kinda lame.

Soon however two things derail Star Guy. One is a mysterious force called Nemesis who he must defeat and two, he may have super powers but in school he is just a regular fourteen year old kid who is tongue-tied when it comes to talking to girls.  Luke, though younger is able to one-up his brother in this regard as he soon starts hanging out with their junior reporter neighbor.

Solomons does a good job of balancing the superhero stuff with the other story threads. The result is a book that has it all-action, laughs, sibling rivalry and a generous sprinkling of superhero trivia. This was a great little read and I recommend it for ages 9+.