This review published by The Children's Book and Media Review

Evan Quick loves superheroes more than almost anyone else, and he would do anything to be one. He has no flying, super strength, or any of the other superhero skills that he wants desperately to have. When he somehow manages to survive a supervillain’s death ray and save his favorite super hero, he is sent to the Academy of Metahuman Operatives. The school is different from what he expects, and his mentor, Foxman, is not thrilled to be a super hero. As he learns about the school, he discovers that there is more to being a hero than he might expect, and even the heroes might not be as heroic as he had always expected.

The book is a wonderful homage to comic books and superheroes. It’s somewhat cheesy, but it’s cheesy in all the right ways for fans of the genre. The characters are so fun, from the old, tired former alcoholic mentor to the teacher and guidance council. Evan is a great character. He’s not the smartest or most skilled, but he works hard and wants to be a good person. People who aren’t fans of superheroes and comic books might not enjoy the book, but people wanting a fun superhero story are likely to enjoy it. ( )

What a fun book with a fresh-yet-familiar approach to superheroes! McCullough's book straddles the line between middle grade and young adult, and is one to be thoroughly enjoyed by adults (like me) as well. Evan is a kid totally obsessed with superhero fandom, but when his own powers emerge, he quickly finds out that 1) his favorite hero is an all-out jerk, 2) his supportive, awesome parents suddenly aren't so supportive, and 3) kids like him are sent to a special school... on a moon of Mars. Some of the elements are outright goofy (there is brief mention of a villain who has powers over cheese, which delighted me), but the novel also addresses some heady topics with great care and compassion, such as relationships with parents, and alcoholism and recovery. ( )

This review is also available on my blog, Read Till Dawn.

All right, I'm starting on the deep end with this one: School for Sidekicks was just a little too, well, politically correct for my tastes. Evan's father had two mothers, one of the students at the school is a gender-neutral shapeshifter, a girl tries to kiss another girl - each of these were completely unnecessary to the plot, and really only served to send the not-so-subtle message of "Look at me, I'm a liberal author!" I can understand having things like that in a book when they're central to the plot or are in a book directed at the gay community, but in this case McCullough went out of his way to add them to a kid's book that totally didn't need them at all. And I'm really sad that he did that, because it totally hurt my enjoyment of the book.

Political correctness (which, I am perfectly aware, won't even bother a lot of readers) aside, School for Sidekicks is still just a little too . . . much. This is apparently McCullough's first children's book, and it's pretty obvious that he's not used to toning his material down the way you have to for MG. Besides Foxman (who, as I said, is a recovering drunkard), there are a few points where the violence becomes a bit too graphic for me. At one point, somebody literally dies a few times but is basically rebooted each time. The deaths aren't described extremely vividly, but they're still deaths and they're not exactly peaceful deaths. At another point, a professor teaches his students a class on killing bad guys with common objects they might have at hand. He goes in-depth into describing what organs you can hit when you stab which spots at which angles, and I honestly had to skip over a paragraph or two because it was getting a little too much for me. Sure, I'm a wimp, but that's not exactly the sort of thing middle-school kids should be reading about, either. There's also some pretty bad language scattered throughout, including the "D" word and the "B" word (the one for "illegitimate child").

Now let's talk about the good aspects to the book. McCullough did a good job inserting as many twists as he possibly could into the dry formula, and I really enjoyed a lot of the aspects of his take on the superhero universe. Foxman, Evan's superhero mentor and a recovering alcoholic, was my personal favorite character because he was so different from all of the other usual superhero tropes. Plus, he was hilarious! I wish I could have someone like him to talk to when I'm down. The big reveal at the end was pretty mind-blowing, too, and really makes you rethink everything. It also sets up for some very interesting sequels. I really loved Evan as well, because I could see myself in him. As a massive Harry Potter/Doctor Who fangirl, I can totally relate with his obsession with superheroes - I just wish I was lucky enough to attend Hogwarts and meet all the characters in Harry Potter, the way he attended the "School for Sidekicks" and met all his favorite heroes. Even if some of them did turn out to be total losers!

Honestly, though, I feel like the bad-to-good ratio on this one is just too high. I won't be recommending it to anyone, and I doubt I'll be reading the sequel. If the bad points I've mentioned don't turn you off, though, then you could still give it a try. I know that without them, I would definitely have really enjoyed School for Sidekicks.

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

This is a novel about superheroes, so I’ll put it in the paranormal genre.

Evan Quick has always wanted to be a Mask, a person with special abilities. A bomb went off many years ago that gave some people powers. The most famous is Captain Commanding, whom Evan almost worships. He attends his amusement park all the time until one day he is sent into a building and a strange feeling comes over him. He’s supposed to return to pick up a superhero uniform made just for him. Come to find out, Evan now has powers. He finds out in the most exciting way. Captain Commanding is battling his nemesis Spartanicus right in front of Evan. Evan actually saves Captain Commanding. When he wakes up, he’s at a school for kids who have powers, learning to use those powers, and working with a full Mask.

Evan has the ability to heal himself and, at times, super strength. When he gets to his new school, he learns that he’s only got enough ability to be a sidekick. Disappointment. Powers are not as strong these days as they were in the days of the bomb. Evan actually has friends here, which is a nice change. He even gets picked as the intern with one of the most famous Masks, Foxman. The problem is that Foxman is a hasbeen. He hasn’t done anything in years, so it’s embarrassing to be with him. Come to find out, this assignment is great for learning. Foxman is a genius and he has access to information that Evan isn’t supposed to have. Evan begins to realize that something is seriously weird. With his friends and the information he has access to, Evan risks his life, to find the truth.

It’s not in the league of Steelheart by any means, but it’s an interesting and entertaining book. If you like superheroes, you’ll like this novel. It’s one of the better superhero books! ( )

This book is a lot of fun! Even for someone like me who is in general indifferent to superhero tropes.

In many ways it reminds me of the Harry Potter books, but in a superhero rather than magic-based world. It's YA, with a 13-year-old protagonist, but adult readers ought not to be put off! Evan is a well-written character, and McCullough clearly thought out well the world in which he comes into his superpowers.

The other characters, work really well, too. No one is 100% anything; other people disappoint sometimes, and then come through in surprising ways. Nothing is clear-cut. And even superpowered kids ARE kids, and act like such!

While it has its serious aspects, this is mostly a pretty light book. I think most Potter, and superhero, fans will enjoy it. ( )