Cute book. Lots of fun DC references for people older than a teenager. I even had to go look up a few because they pre-dated my knowledge base. Figuring out who was an adult Super Hero and who was a teenage Super Hero was interesting... they didn't always go the way I expected. I think my biggest nitpick is the implication that Wonder Woman was her birth name, and Diana was never mentioned. So now she has a rather silly nickname. I get the age this book was written for, but that one detail bugged me the entire time. I will prolly keep reading these (I already have book 2) as this one was pretty fun. (Plus I'm an HQ fan, so seeing her as a burgeoning teenage media mogul amuses the heck out of me.) ( )

So, I have a soft spot in my heart for Middle Grade books. I also have a probably not so secret crush on Wonder Woman. Which means, that when you mash those two things together I get very, very excited about it! I'm thrilled that female superheroes are finally getting a chance to be in the spotlight, and that millions of young readers everywhere will have strong female characters to look up to. Wonder Woman at Super Hero High was adorable and, in my opinion, a very much needed book in today's world.

Although this is aimed at the MG crowd, and very well written for that group I might add, there's a lot that older readers will love about Wonder Woman's high school experience. She's an instantly likable character. Plus, she faces a lot of the same trials that all of us did when we were in high school. Mean girls, popularity contests, and trying to find your niche in such a big place all are tackled in this book. If I had to make a comparison, this is kind of a Sweet Valley High meets DC mash up. A little bit of tension, a lot of lessons, and plenty of adorable moments as well.

What I liked most about this book though, and I hope continues throughout the series, is that there is no strong delineation between villains and superheroes yet. Since these characters are still young, and coming into their own, Yee has chosen not to put them into a box yet. I loved that! Harley Quinn, for instance, is a budding reporter who is actually really sweet. As Wonder Woman's roommate, she's actually a fairly big part of this story. As a reader of the DC universe, I kept trying to pin her down as the villain in my mind. Yee kept me from doing that, in the best way possible. Maybe Harley will turn later, maybe not! For now, she's a great example of someone who is still growing.

If I had one complaint, it was that I felt at times that this book put a little too much emphasis on the "cute" factor. Oh sure, I loved the funny classes that our characters had to take, and their general high school banter. What I wasn't a fan of, was that it cut somewhat into the strong nature of Wonder Woman as a character. She was a little air-headed at times, and I'm not going to deny that any time someone called her "Wondy" it made me cringe. I'm an adult, who has read Wonder Woman in many a comic. So I know I'm a little biased in that respect. I just really want young readers to look at these characters and see how amazingly strong they are as women. That's the important part.

That being said, this series has made an very solid start. I see a lot of potential and a lot of love coming from readers of all ages! Anything that puts these super women in the spotlight deserves all the love that it can get. If this creates some new ravenous comic book readers? Well, that's just a bonus. ( )

Writing a Middle Grade novel featuring high school-age protagonists can be challenging. I get it. But it's possible to keep language and content at a Middle Reader level, but still have your characters behave like high schoolers, rather than grade schoolers. Unfortunately, this book failed to do so. And, um, how difficult would it be for the students at Super Hero High to go by their mundane names, rather than strictly by their super hero names? I doubt Hippolyta called her daughter "Wonder Woman" rather than (Princess) Diana, so why would her school mates? My final big issue with this book is that "Wondy" (ugh!) is portrayed as stupid in an awkward attempt to convey her rather sheltered upbringing. Although she may have grown up away from the "world of man", she still grew up around other people (Amazons) and would know how to interact with them and how to deal with bullies and false friends (some of those Amazons could be b*tches).

Grr. Argh. It got two stars because I didn't hate it, but I wanted it to be so much better. Wonder Woman/Diana of Themyscira/Diana Prince deserves so much more. ( )

Lisa Yee has a pretty extensive literary career, including writing some of the popular America Girl books. I was thrilled to learn about the new DC Superhero Girls book series. Especially since I have a daughter who happens to like superheros. It's great to see some of the female characters brought to the forefront. Personally, I grew up watching reruns of Linda Carter playing Wonder Woman, and I loved it.

In this book Wonder Woman, or as her friends affectionately nickname her: Wondy, longs to go to a school where she can socialize with other kids. Her mother is reluctant to let her go so far from the island of where she grew up, but when Wondy receives an invitation to go to Super Hero High, her mother can't say no to Wondy's request. But it's hard, even for superheros, to fit in at a new school. But with some help from some of her new friends and some growing pains, Wondy begins to fit in and eventually find her place.

With the rise of superhero movies and television shows, it's great to see a series dedicated especially to fans of the superhero women. It's especially nice to see them in their formative years having the same struggles as regular girls of their age would have. My own complaint about this book is that I wish it would have some graphic novel images in it. I think to not have it, undervalues what some girls would really like or the chance to expose them to a new type of media. Overall, though, the story is really good, and I think superhero-loving girls will really enjoy this series. I know mine will.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2016/04/review-wonder-woman-at-super-hero-high.... ( )