Mask: The League of Secret Heroes, Book 2
By Mary Eisenhart,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Superhero tweens hit San Francisco in exciting WWII sequel.
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What's the Story?
Following their defeat of The Hisser in Book 1, MASK finds Josie, Akiko, and Mae still discovering their superpowers and traveling to San Francisco, which was Akiko's home until Japanese Americans were forcibly uprooted and sent to concentration camps. Once there, they reconnect with Mrs.Boudica and a group of hardworking, skilled women trying to foil spies and break enemy codes. Not a minute too soon, either, as the city is under attack by a new supervillain, the Side-Splitter and his army of evil clowns, who bombard the city with explosives and otherwise wreak havoc. Meanwhile, a woman who runs a doll shop seems to be a spy -- but why is Akiko's mom, who's supposed to be locked up in the camp in Manzanar, seen all around town with her? And behaving strangely, too? With the superheroes of old either gone or mere shadows of their former selves, it's up to the Infinity Trinity to fix things.
Is It Any Good?
The challenges and dangers are huge, the superheroes of old are helpless or lost, and it all comes down to the Infinity Trinity in this exciting WWII sequel. Like Book 1, Mask is part graphic novel, part text narrative, packed with historical detail about World War II and daily life during the era. As Akiko, Mae, and Josie teleport around the country, ride cable cars and climb hills in San Francisco, dodge evil clowns and try to foil spies, there's lots of excitement, drama, and girl power -- with strong, supportive adults to inspire their heroics and offer life lessons. Code-breaking and puzzle-solving are important skills and play a key role.
An afterword offers source material about people and events in the story, and makes much of the heroic real-life British spy Noor Khan and her remark that the life expectancy of her profession is about four months. But it neglects to mention that she was killed at Dachau by Nazis.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how superheroes are portrayed in Mask. Why, when things are bad, do people look to them for help? Do you think it's good to think about how superheroes might fix things --or do you think that's just silly and helps nothing?
Do you know anyone whose family was displaced and imprisoned durig World War II as a result of Executive Order 9066? How would it feel to lose everything because of how you looked and where your ancestors came from?
Have you ever made up secret codes to send messages to your friends? Would you like to try?
Book Details
- Author: Kate Hannigan
- Illustrator: Patrick Spaziante
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Superheroes , Adventures , Friendship , Great Girl Role Models , History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Aladdin
- Publication date: August 18, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 272
- Available on: Nook, Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: June 1, 2022
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