Charity Tober

Twelve-year-old Ethan Parker and his friends attend Justice Academy, a middle school just for kids with superpowers. The entire school is buzzing about the upcoming Sidekick Tryouts, a brand new competition where the Nexus Guardians-the city's elite team of crime fighting superheroes-will choose their newest batch of recruits. But a week before the tryouts begin, mysterious circumstances lure the famed Guardians out of the city and a new threat emerges. A villainous man calling himself the Hero Smasher declares war on all supers, taking Nexus City hostage with his mind control abilities and an army of mechanical minions. With the Guardians out of the picture and time quickly running out, it's up to a group of super-powered sixth graders to rise up and find the courage within to take on a super villain before their city is lost forever.

Rise of the Sidekicks

The Rise of the Sidekicks by Charity Tober is a criminally underread middle grade novel following pre-teen kids with superpowers trying to become the next big sidekicks!

Ethan Parker is your average kid.... in a town with superpowers, of course. He's twelve years old, his older brother is one of the cool superheroes protecting the city, he's got a super power of his own he's working on mastering, and he goes to a school to do just that! Him and his friends are learning all that they can so they can develop those powers and then try out to be a side kick to one of the incredible heroes in the city! But, as most stories go, it doesn't stay all average day for long. A villainous man declares war on the city and locks the Guardians (superheroes) of the cities out... and all that's left are middle grade wannabe sidekicks... Never underestimate the power of a spiteful middle grader!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was hooked and binging this story and even managed to read it twice. I felt like my younger self would have loved this and I Know many young kiddos (my neighbours) who would love a story like this. I can even see them playing pretend outside as if they were the characters of this book!

Relatable kids having very relatable problems (wanting to do better in school, wanting to be as cool as an older sibling, wanting to have friends, etc.), and showing that you should never underestimate a kid? Absolutely flawless! 

I truly hope there are more stories coming along that feature Ethan and his friends. I really liked how smart and fun Ethan and his friends are. I can see many more readers loving this story. Now we just need to get it in the hands of those readers!

I received this book for free from the author, Charity Tober, in exchange for an honest review.

Briar's Reviews

The Rise of the Sidekicks by Charity Tober is a criminally underread middle grade novel following pre-teen kids with superpowers trying to become the next big sidekicks!

Ethan Parker is your average kid.... in a town with superpowers, of course. He's twelve years old, his older brother is one of the cool superheroes protecting the city, he's got a super power of his own he's working on mastering, and he goes to a school to do just that! Him and his friends are learning all that they can so they can develop those powers and then try out to be a side kick to one of the incredible heroes in the city! But, as most stories go, it doesn't stay all average day for long. A villainous man declares war on the city and locks the Guardians (superheroes) of the cities out... and all that's left are middle grade wannabe sidekicks... Never underestimate the power of a spiteful middle grader!

I absolutely LOVED this book! I was hooked and binging this story and even managed to read it twice. I felt like my younger self would have loved this and I Know many young kiddos (my neighbours) who would love a story like this. I can even see them playing pretend outside as if they were the characters of this book!

Relatable kids having very relatable problems (wanting to do better in school, wanting to be as cool as an older sibling, wanting to have friends, etc.), and showing that you should never underestimate a kid? Absolutely flawless! 

I truly hope there are more stories coming along that feature Ethan and his friends. I really liked how smart and fun Ethan and his friends are. I can see many more readers loving this story. Now we just need to get it in the hands of those readers!

Five out of five stars.

I received this book for free from the author, Charity Tober, in exchange for an honest review.