 | Shadow of the Batgirl Author: Kuhn, Sarah | |
| Price: $13.93 | ||
Summary:
Cassandra Cain is the daughter of super-villains and a living weapon trained to be the ultimate assassin, but when her father threatens the world she has grown to love, she will have to overcome that voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero.
| Illustrator: | Goux, Nicole |
| Accelerated Reader Information: Interest Level: MG+ Reading Level: 3.00 Points: 1.0 Quiz: 510198 |
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 01/01/2020 Gr 6 Up—Teenage assassin Cassandra Cain can't remember anything—who she is, where she came from, even how to speak. As she finishes off a man in the alleys of Gotham City, her dying victim's last words, about his daughter, trigger something in her. Overwhelmed, she finds refuge in the public library. Spying on a librarian's storytime, she learns to talk again and discovers that Gotham's hero Batgirl has gone missing and a crime wave has broken out. But the librarian's tales of Batgirl motivate Cassandra to take her past—and future—into her own hands and become the hero she was meant to be. Kuhn's reinterpretation of Batgirl is a tender, moving addition to DC's series of superhero origin stories. Sympathetic characters, such as children's librarian Barbara and local ramen chef Jackie, soften the sinister, Jason Bourne–inspired plot. While Cassandra's romance with the library intern feels tacked on, kind and literary Erik is a gentle foil for the skilled warrior. Goux's frenetic, jagged art depicts a gritty, menacing Gotham, though the vast library is a soothing sanctuary. Scenes of Cassandra leaping around the stacks and kicking over piles of books joyfully subvert the idea that a library should be a quiet, orderly place. VERDICT Kuhn's winning tale of a budding superhero attempting to forge a path ahead will resonate with teens wrestling with their own identities.—Anna Murphy, Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn - Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
Booklist - 01/01/2020 *Starred Review* Trained from birth to be a perfect weapon, Cassandra Cain dispatches her father’s enemies with ghastly snaps, cracks, and crunches. Though her highly specialized training has left her with only the barest grasp of spoken language, she reads the love and regret in the eyes of her last victim as he croaks a farewell to his own beloved child, and so Cassandra goes on the run. She winds up hiding out in a Gotham City library, where she starts developing her language skills and hears the legend of Batgirl, as told by none other than former Batgirl Barbara Gordon. Struggling to open up, Cass eventually accepts Barbara, as well as Jackie, the tough but motherly owner of the neighborhood noodle shop, as her surrogate family. With their help, she dons a DIY costume and brings Batgirl back to the streets, starting with a crusade against dodgy library patrons, but eventually she confronts her own past in the form of her father and his assassins. There’s an inexhaustible supply of stories about choosing a path or identity in YA literature, but Kuhn deepens the theme and her character by centering her plot on Cass’ confused search for both human connection and heroic ideals. Add Goux’s lean, manga-inflected art with its rollicking, parkour-inspired action sequences, and you’ve got a top-tier entry in DC’s YA graphic novel line. - Copyright 2020 Booklist.
