Jess also has to cope with the growing distance between her superhero sister Claudia, and her prodigy genius brother, while she doesn’t really “stand out” herself. Jess’s internal struggles when it came to her identity felt very real and isolating, particularly when she tells her classmate she doesn’t want to join their queer society, and when she buys her favourite Vietnamese food from the corner store. Not only does she have to cope with the struggles of being biracial, not quite fully fitting into either the Chinese or Vietnamese communities, she is also bisexual, often battling misconceptions from her classmates.
Initially, Not Your Sidekick seems to be a standard superhero story about a girl who is trying to fit in, but upon unpacking the narrative – there are multiple layers at play here. Spanning a world where superpowers are common, and superheroes and villains rule the streets, the book follows a bisexual Chinese-Vietnamese heroine called Jess in her quest to discover herself. I love superheroes and books with Chinese characters, so it was a no-brainer to pick up Not Your Sidekick which was also our Name of the Book Club June book of the month. But what starts as a fun way to spite her superhero parents takes a sudden and dangerous turn when she uncovers a plot larger than heroes and villains altogether. Then there’s the budding attraction to her fellow intern, the mysterious “M,” who never seems to be in the same place as Abby. On the upside, she gets to work with her longtime secret crush, Abby, who Jess thinks may have a secret of her own. Despite her heroic lineage, Jess is resigned to a life without superpowers and is merely looking to beef-up her college applications when she stumbles upon the perfect (paid!) internship-only it turns out to be for the town’s most heinous supervillain. Just ask high school nobody, Jessica Tran. Welcome to Andover… where superpowers are common, but internships are complicated.
Genres: Young Adult, Own Voices, Diversity, Science FictionĪmazon | Book Depository | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble Published by Duet Books on September 8, 2016
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