Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary schoolkid by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero. But after an embarrassing incident involving his too-tight spandex costume, plus some signs that Phantom Justice may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott begins to question his role. With the help of a fellow sidekick, once his nemesis, Scott must decide if growing up means being loyal or stepping boldly to the center of things. Great for boys, comics fans, and anyone looking for a superhero tale that’s also an insightful look at adolescence.

Suit up for this high-octane graphic novel debut by the Caldecott Medalist and #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Adventures of Beekle. Captain Amazing, the hometown hero of Metro City, is so busy catching criminals that he rarely has time for his pets—he hasn’t even noticed they’ve been developing superpowers of their own! So when Captain Amazing announces he needs a sidekick, his eager pets—a dog, a hamster, and a chameleon—all decide to audition for the part and a chance for one-on-one time with the Captain. But while each pet is focused on winning the coveted sidekick spot, an even bigger battle in Metro City is about to unleash . . . Dr. Havoc, Captain Amazing’s long-time nemesis, is hatching up a new scheme, and the Captain’s found himself in serious trouble. Can the warring pets put their squabbles aside to save the day? Will the return of a forgotten friend help them in their time of need? Or will this be the end for Captain Amazing? Get ready for sibling rivalry royale as pets with superpowers duke it out for the one thing they all want most: a super family. “The lovable menagerie of crime-fighting pets offers lots of laughs and a boisterous and exuberant storyline.” —Kirkus Reviews “Lively, insightful, and just plain fun, this convergence of capes and creatures will find a wide audience in animal lovers and superhero fans alike.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

A gay retelling of the classic fairy tale--a scrumptious love story featuring ungrateful stepsiblings, a bake-off, and a fairy godfather. Cinderelliot is stuck at home taking care of his ungrateful stepsister and stepbrother. When Prince Samuel announces a kingdom-wide competition to join the royal staff as his baker, the stepsiblings insist that Cinderelliot bake their entries, leaving no time for he, himself, to compete. Fairy Godfather Ludwig appears and magically helps Cinderelliot bake his best chocolate cake, clean up, and get to the competition via limo. At the bake-off, Prince Samuel falls in love with Cinderelliot's cake, but our hero has to run off as the clock strikes midnight, leaving behind his chef hat. The next day, Prince Samuel searches the kingdom for the owner of the hat and finds that it fits perfectly on Cinderelliot's head. The prince is delighted to find not only his new baker but also the man of his dreams, and Cinderelliot creates a magnificent wedding cake--and the two live scrumptiously ever after.

Ryan, Harley and Miles are very different people—the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd. All they’ve ever had in common is Isaac, their shared best friend. When Isaac dies unexpectedly, the three boys must come to terms with their grief and the impact Isaac had on each of their lives. In his absence, Ryan, Harley and Miles discover things about one another they never saw before, and realize there may be more tying them together than just Isaac. In this intricately woven story told in three parts, award-winning Australian author Will Kostakis makes his American debut with a heartwarming, masterfully written novel about grief, self-discovery and the connections that tie us all together.

Resigned to a life without superpowers in a world full of them, Jess takes a paid internship where she helps a heinous supervillain and works with her longtime crush, but she soon stumbles on a massive plot.

Thirteen-year-old Guy Martin, also known as superhero Pumpkin Pete's sidekick Speedy, helps the League of Big Justice save the human race from being turned into puppets by Pinoh Keyoh and the Brotherhood of Rottenness.

Heard about the fish that clean shark teeth? Or the frog that lives with a tarantula? Welcome to the weird world of symbiosis—where animals form incredible relationships. Macken Murphy, host of the popular animal podcast Species, introduces his favourite symbiotic relationships in his first kids’ nonfiction book, Animal Sidekicks. Along the way he explains the cool science behind the baffling behaviour of some animals—from friendly alliances to pesky parasites. Alongside him, illustrator Dragan Kordic skillfully brings to life head-scratching relationships in nature, including: • The crab that wears a sea urchin as a hat • The bat that goes to bed inside a plant • The warthog that likes a mongoose massage You’ll even find out about symbiotic relationships including YOU! (Hint—is your head ever itchy?) By the end of the book you won’t look at nature in the same way again!

Watch out, bad guys, there’s a new superhero in town! Nick was flattered to be chosen as Super Fantastic Guy’s assistant — picked for his intelligence, his investigative skills and his super-amazing hearing abilities. But Nick (who, by the way, hates being called a sidekick) didn’t realize that he would end up doing all of the work — and getting none of the credit. So, one day, when he overhears a gang of criminals planning an enormous bank heist, Nick knows he’s finally going to get the chance to prove himself. Or is he? Readers will be rooting for Nick — the true superhero — even if nobody else is!

Literary sidekicks like Dr. Watson and Robin the Boy Wonder have not been the singular subject of a significant critical study—until now. Using young adult literature (YA) to study the sidekick reveals new and exciting ways to understand these kinds of characters and this kind of literature. YA has embraced the sidekick, recognizing the way the character reflects the importance of growth and finding one’s place in the world. The nature of many YA texts allows sidekicks to grow beyond literary or historical origins. This includes letting sidekicks “evolve” over the course of multiple texts, using parallel novels to add complexity to a sidekick’s characterization, and telling a story from the sidekick’s perspective, paradoxically making the sidekick the hero. A singularly focused and prolonged study helps to establish sidekick scholarship as a burgeoning field in and of itself.