Public School Superheroes is a Children/Middle School book by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts.
Kenneth "Kenny" Wright is an average kid living in Washington, D.C. who's started sixth grade at Union Middle School. He's not the coolest kid, or the smartest, but he is a Straight A student who's always trying to do right by his grandmother. Whenever he's in a tough spot, he likes to imagine himself as a Superhero he calls "Stainlezz Steel".
And Union Middle School is a place where really being Stainlezz Steel would come in handy. Packed with hulking brutes, teachers who just can't be bothered, and with only his friends to help, Kenny is not having a good time (it doesn't help that he got a detention that he doesn't want his grandma knowing about for being in the wrong place at the wrong time).
However, that starts to change when the principal, Mr. Diaw, leaves after the first day of the school year. Replaced soon after by a much friendlier principal, Dr. Yetty James, Kenny finds he's been assigned to teach one of the school troublemakers, Ray-Ray Powell, chess. Soon, Dr. Yetty James' presence at the school starts inspiring the adults to demand improvement in their school from the government. Soon, Kenny starts actually being friends with Ray-Ray, and the two start learning from each other.
The book was released on March 16th, 2015.
Public School Superhero contains examples of:
- Apathetic Teacher: Mr. Hillcoat near the beginning of the book. He orders his students to read from their textbooks, then sits back in his desk to watch SportsCentre on his iPad.
- Black Bead Eyes: Everyone in the book is drawn with these.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: In the illustration of Kenny's grandmother on page 8, after lecturing Kenny a few times before turning her lectures on the reader.
- Bully Turned Buddy: Ray-Ray seems to become this over the course of the book toward Kenny. One thing he does is make the other bullies stop picking on Kenny and his friends
- Cool Shades: Stainlezz Steel wears a pair of visor shades as part of his superhero outfit.
- Imagine Spot: Plenty, usually revolving around Kenny imagining himself as Stainlezz Steel.
- Raised by Grandparents: Kenny lives with his grandmother.
- Shout-Out: Spider-Man makes a cameo in one illustration.
- Slogan-Yelling Megaphone Guy: Or rather "Slogan-Yelling Megaphone Grandma". Kenny's grandmother stands on a car and starts shouting through a microphone during the protest at the end of the book to improve Union Middle School.
- Stuffed into a Locker: Tiny Simpkins stuffs Kenny into his locker in chapter 14.
- Token White: Preemie, the only white student at Kenny's school.
- Xtreme Kool Letterz: Kenny's Superhero persona's name is spelled "Stainlezz Steel".
