Like Lava In My Veins
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- USD 8.99
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- USD 8.99
Publisher Description
A USA Today Bestseller
All it takes is a loving teacher to help a boy get control of his sizzling superpowers, in this vibrant picture book by bestselling author Derrick Barnes.
Bobby Beacon’s got fire flowing through his veins. And now he’s psyched to attend a new school that’ll help him get a better grip on his powers. But right off the bat, his new teacher is not too welcoming. That causes Bobby’s hot temper to land him in the principal’s office. It ain’t easy to stay calm when people don’t seem to understand you and are always pushing you to the edge. Good thing Bobby gets moved to a class with an understanding teacher who clues him in on ways to calm himself and shows him that caring for others is its own kind of superpower. With her help—and some cool new friends—he just might be on his way to becoming the best version of himself possible.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Graphic novel and picture book merge in this red-hot superhero story from Barnes and Martinbrough with Lucas. On the first day at the Academy of Kids with Awesome Abilities (AKWAA), Bobby Beacon, who reads as Black, indicates that "Beacons lead people and show them the way." Wielding "the power of light and fire," Bobby sometimes has difficulties controlling these abilities—something the school is supposed to help with. But a run-in with a critical teacher ends with Bobby in the principal's office, where it's made clear that the Institute for Supervillains could be the next stop for Bobby, as it was for a fellow Black-cued classmate. Even so, a new teacher, Miss Brooklyn, demonstrates calming methods, and when Headmaster Chaos of the Institute for Supervillains crashes an assembly looking to recruit Bobby, the narrator uses their knowledge to save the day. Thin-lined hand-drawn artwork with bold shadow effects conveys the dynamism of old-school comic books in this story that underscores teachers' import while portraying one child's experience within an educational system that falls short in supporting its Black students. Miss Brooklyn reads as Black; the AKWAA principal and Headmaster Chaos cue as white. Ages 5–8.
