Review by Booklist Review
Although Donut, the daughter of two infamous villains, is a Destroyer, and her best friend Ivy is an appropriately bad influence, always summoning monsters and causing chaos, Donut can no longer deny that, deep down, she longs to use her superstrength for good. So, she enrolls in Lionheart School for Heroes, where she must prove that she doesn't share her parents' evil nature. But as she makes new friends and learns how to be heroic, Ivy lashes out, hoping to ruin Donut's reputation and force her back into the evil fold. While this is a world built on a black-and-white premise of good versus evil, Graley and Purenins happily put all heavy-handedness aside in favor of pure, goofy fun. Graley's artwork is immediately disarming, setting the tone with all the comfort and character of a Matt Groening cartoon--and the humor, too. Both good and evil are played for laughs here, even as Donut's new school serves as a playground for superpower showdowns and a battleground for her beef with Ivy. Good fun.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a world in which everyone has a special power and must choose to walk the path of a villain or a hero, Donut's choice seems set in stone: her parents are infamous, and her family boasts a full-blown legacy as evil-doers. But super-strong Donut ("Middle name: the,/ Last name: Destroyer") has one goal in mind: to become a hero. Excited for her first day at the Lionheart School for Heroes, Donut is determined to immerse herself in training and become a super prefect. Her well-meaning parents prove skeptical but supportive ("We agreed we'd let Donut get this out of her system"), but longtime best friend Ivy, feeling abandoned and wanting Donut for her own chaotic plans, schemes to get her kicked out of hero school. Along with a chunky drawing style and pink-tinged palette, Purenins (Our Super Adventure) and Graley (Glitch) place their mutual penchant for antics (demonic rituals in the home) and absurd banter ("The living room has far superior energy than the basement... for wrangling up the undead") on full display. And their underlying message--the importance of forging one's own path, for better or for worse--is a heartwarming one. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8--12. Agent (for author and illustrator): Steven Salpeter, Curtis Brown. (June)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3--6--Donut shocks her friends and family when she chooses to use her super strength for good, not evil. Her family has proudly stuck to the path of villainy (except for Uncle Eric, who opted to become an accountant). But in this world, everyone has the right to decide between a life of good and evil, so rebellious Donut enrolls in Lionheart School for Heroes. Her reputation makes her an outcast at first, but she soon realizes that fighting for good is what she wants. Though she's torn between her own desires and her family's expectations, Donut proves that she can stand tall as the hero she wants to become. The sharpest emotional hooks of the story involve Donut's toxic friendship with villain Ivy and her new Lionheart friends, who struggle with feelings of inferiority. While sympathetic, characters are fairly one-dimensional, though everyone grows a little by the story's end. Bright colors, eye-catching highlights, and broad facial expressions make for clear emotional cues, and scenes of fantasy slapstick add appropriate dashes of action. VERDICT A strong role model who has the self-confidence to change tracks despite her friends and family's expectations, Donut will readily endear herself to readers.--Thomas Maluck, Richland Library, SC
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