The Greatest Superpower

February 1, 2021

Gr 4-8-Jorge Fuerte's world spirals when his parents announce they are divorcing and that his father is transgender. While 13-year-old Jorge earnestly navigates myriad emotions, his twin brother, Cesar, shuts their father out completely. As if his family life isn't complicated enough, Jorge falls head over heels for the new girl, Zoey, as he works on a comic competition with his two best friends. Jorge keeps his father's identity a secret from those closest to him, a decision that will cause significant trouble before the book's ultimately happy conclusion. This work begins somewhat abruptly but finds its stride after a summer break montage; the bulk of the narrative is well paced and engaging. Readers may be disappointed, however, that only two of the three competition-based plot threads are resolved. While some readers might find the text a bit didactic, overall this tale provides representation and context for for kids of transgender parents, readers exploring their own gender identities, or tweens wishing to better understand themselves. Jorge is light-skinned, like their mother, and Cesar is darker complected like their father. Sanchez deftly weaves commentary on race, specifically in regards to Latinos, and inequality into his larger narrative. VERDICT There is a lot to love here, and the hopeful, honest representation of a transgender parent is essential for all library collections.-Taylor Worley, Springfield P.L., OR

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2020
Jorge is about to enter eighth grade when his parents drop a bombshell: They are getting a divorce because his dad is transgender. Jorge is upset and confused, but his twin brother, Cesar, is furious and refuses to speak to their father. While navigating gender, family, friendship, dating--and Cesar's bid for student body president--Jorge learns a lesson about having the confidence to be yourself. This heartfelt novel avoids some pitfalls in representation but tumbles straight into others. Sanchez provides a nuanced depiction of navigating race, as readers see how the biracial brothers' experiences diverge. Their Mexican American father, who says he is still their papa and now goes by Norma, teaches brown-skinned Cesar how to stay safe from the police while White-passing Jorge knows that he'll never truly understand Cesar's experience. The cast is diverse; the boys' best friend is Chinese and Jamaican. However, the author's depiction of transition is a mixed bag. He takes down a few misconceptions but props up others, offering genuine insight into the family's feelings while also dedicating far too many words to describing Norma's big hands, masculine frame, garish makeup, and how she totters comically in her heels and dresses. These harmful stereotypes of trans women are sadly familiar and disappointing in what is otherwise a touching story about a family's experience with gender transition. A good book marred by clumsy trans representation. (note to readers) (Fiction. 10-13)

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