I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee
Series: DC Super Hero Girls #1
Published by Random House Books for Young Readers on March 1, 2016
Pages: 240
Format: Hardcover
Source: the publisher
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This groundbreaking new middle grade series follows DC Comics' most iconic female Super Heroes and Super-Villains . . . as high schoolers. At Super Hero High, the galaxy's most powerful teens nurture their powers and master the fundamentals of what it means to be a hero.

Wonder Woman isn't like most high school students. Super Hero high isn't like most high schools.

Wonder Woman is an Amazon warrior and princess. She has never left her home on Paradise Island. But she wants to be a super hero - the best super hero she can be. At Super Hero High, she has to juggle intense training, new friendships, and a roommate who shares every embarrassing moment on social media. Not to mention... Wonder Woman has never seen a boy before.

This is going to be harder than she thought.

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Wonder Woman at Super Hero High by Lisa Yee (March 1, 2016 – Random House Books for Young Readers) This book was an incredibly fun read, so I’m really excited to be a part of this blog tour! I hope you enjoy my review!

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This book was twice as entertaining and adorable as I expected it to be! It was both hilarious and awesome seeing these future super heroes – and super-villains – as teenagers, just coming into their powers and their identities. Seeing them gain confidence and self-respect, while still making mistakes along the way, was empowering – it showed that everyone makes mistakes, but we must learn and grow from them. These important lessons, coupled with likable characters and an epic plot, made for an epic read!

I’ve never been a huge follower of DC comics but I know the main super heroes and villains (Like Wonder Woman, Superman, Supergirl, Batman, Poison Ivy, etc) and I’ve always been fascinated by them, even if I didn’t devour the comics and movies. Despite not being a devout follower of the comics, I was still completely fascinated by this book! In fact, it made me want to do some research and learn who everyone is – Their backstory, who they become (hero or villain), etc! This makes me think that this series will be a great way to introduce a new generation of tweens and teens to the original comics!

And honestly, I think it was GOOD that I didn’t know who everyone was. Except for the rare few (again, Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy, etc), I didn’t know who was a super hero or a villain, so I couldn’t judge them based on who they become. I could only judge them on their behavior NOW. Like, Poison Ivy was really, really nice! And I LOVED Harley Quinn! On the other hand, Star Sapphire seemed to be the resident mean girl and Golden Glider was like her second in command. It was nice being able to come up with my own opinions of these characters, just based on the way they behaved in this book and not based on their comic book alter egos. And again, not knowing who everyone was just made me want to do some research and find out!

On the flip-side, I think this book’s level of entertainment would have been upped a notch if I HAD known who everyone was and if I had been able to understood some of the references. Still, I never felt like I was at a disadvantage because I hadn’t read them. So whether you’ve read the original DC comics or not, I don’t think you’ll have trouble understanding this book or following along. If you HAVE read the comics, you might catch more and understand more. But I don’t think you’ll be confused if you HAVENT read them.

Like I mentioned above, I loved these characters. Poor Wonder Woman dealt with a LOT of culture shock and she takes everything so literally, which leads to a lot of hilarity! I loved Harley Quinn, Lois Lane, Hawkgirl and Bumblebee! I really wanted to like Star Sapphire but I never really trusted her (though she did end up growing on me!). I was indifferent to Golden Glider until near the end and then all the things happened..!! And then there was Cheetah.. man, I did’t like or trust her AT ALL! Of all the characters, I was especially fascinated by Harley Quinn. I really hope she gets her own book!

Overall, I really loved this book! Again, as someone who didn’t devour the DC comics, I was definitely a little bit behind on who everyone was and what some of the references were. But I knew enough and understood enough, so it was still incredibly enjoyable! I’m very excited for book two, which comes out in July, and I can’t wait to see what the other books bring in 2017! This is a short, fast read that I highly recommend to anyone who loves the DC comics, as well as to anyone who wants to get into the comics, but who wants a quick and easy introduction to the characters first!

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About the Author:
 
Lisa Yee’s debut novel, Millicent Min, Girl Genius, won the prestigious Sid Fleischman Humor Award. With over two million books in print, her other novels for young people include Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, So Totally Emily Ebers, Absolutely Maybe, and a series about a 4th grader, Bobby vs. Girls (Accidentally) and Bobby the Brave (Sometimes).

Lisa is also the author of American Girl’s Kanani books and Good Luck, Ivy, and this year’s Lea Clark novels. Her novel, Warp Speed, is about a Star Trek geek who gets beat up everyday at school. A Thurber House Children’s Writer-in-Residence, Lisa’s books have been named a NPR Best Summer Read, Sports Illustrated Kids Hot Summer Read, and USA Today Critics’ Top Pick.

The Kidney Hypothetical – Or How To Ruin Your Life In Seven Days is Lisa’s latest novel for teens. Lisa’s 2016 books include the DC Super Hero Girls middle grade novel series and the American Girl, 2016 Girl of the Year books.

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