Parents' Guide to

Zeroes, Book 1

By Michael Berry, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Clever but overlong tale of superpowered misfit teens.

Book Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, Deborah Biancotti Fantasy 2015
Zeroes, Book 1 Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

rebma97
rebma97 Adult
December 28, 2015
age 13+

Overlong but entertaining

Zeroes has a pretty standard concept of a superhero story: a group of teenagers are gifted with abilities that they use for good. However, this story focuses more on the downside of superpowers, which was more unique. It was fast-paced, despite being very long (it dragged a lot in the middle), which made it more readable. The characters were unique enough, but there were so many of them and rapid POV changes that I never really connected to all of them. I also didn't like how they kept talking about what happened over the summer but never explained, though I suppose they may discuss that more in the sequel. Overall, this was a good read, but I would have chopped off a good 100-200 pages that were kind of filler. Violence: Milder than most superhero stories. The kids have powers, but they never use it to physically hurt anyone. The main story does involve a bank robber who holds his victims at gunpoint at one point in the novel, and near the end three characters are nearly killed. Sex: A mild romance, but nothing too intimate Language: Lots of four-letter words. "S--t" is used several times, and "f--k" appears at least once. Other mild language is used. Drinking/drugs: One of the main character's dad gets involved in selling drugs and uses it himself, with negative consequences

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Ethan, known to his friends as "Scam," has a power that often does him more harm than good. His special voice says the things people want to hear, whether they're true or not. When the voice takes over during a bank robbery, Ethan must call on the other "Zeroes" to rescue him. His superpowered allies include a girl who can destroy tech hardware and software with her mind, a guy whose very existence is hard to remember, a crowd controller, and a young woman who sees through the eyes of others. When Ethan runs afoul of the police and drug dealers alike, the Zeroes have to put aside their differences to save him.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (5):

Everyone wants to be a superhero these days, but this fat, clever thriller/caper novel demonstrates the downsides of being unusually gifted. Authors Scott Westerfeld, Margo Lanagan, and Deborah Biancotti write together seamlessly, moving the story forward with short, punchy chapters that offer various viewpoints.The mix of superpowers in ZEROES is unusual and interesting, and the characters are engaging and well delineated. Unfortunately, the plot drags a little in the middle, when it feels as if the characters are merely going over the same ground to up the page count.

However, the narrative eventually builds to a nail-biting race against time, and this inaugural volume of a series is likely to leave most readers primed for a second helping.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why stories about superheroes are so popular. How are they treated differently in various genres, from comics to movies to novels?

  • If you could have a superpower, which one would it be? Would it have drawbacks as well as benefits?

  • Do you ever feel out of control of your emotions? What actions do you take to calm yourself?

Book Details

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