At a time when we have plenty of examples of the anti-hero (e.g. Batman, Deadpool, The Punisher) Richard Roberts gives us a view of the other side. Instead of a hero that sometimes bends or breaks the rules, we get a villain that winds up committing some heroic actions in the middle of nefarious plans. That is part of the premise for Richard Roberts' book Please, Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain.
This is a book that I believe did a very good job of straddling the line between reality and comic book fantasy. It often brought to mind some sort of combination of The Incredibles and Big Hero 6. The book maintains a certain level of accuracy with it's setting of modern day Los Angeles, CA but, with the added conceit of superheroes being real and out in the open (for the most part).
We get introduced to this world through the eyes of Penelope (Penny) Akk, our main character and daughter of two well respected superheroes. When she begins her story she's 13 years old and her powers have not yet developed. As the story progresses, not only do we get to learn more about her powers as they develop, we also learn more about Penny as well as her two best friends Clair and Ray. Of course, being only 13 years old, we get to see these three learn themselves as they navigate the treacherous world of adolescence.
Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain is a good example of Young Adult fiction that actually is not too young and not too adult. It is a good read for a younger teen that could actually spark discussions or at least a few interesting questions among the family. The violence in it is milder than most Young Adult fiction so, I wouldn't hesitate giving this to somebody of middle school age. I'd have to give it somewhere between a PG and PG13 rating.
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