After a mysterious explosion, four eighth-graders receive fantasy enamel pins that give them superpowers in this illustrated early middle grade series starter that centers four Black protagonists.
Angela, who loves princesses and collecting pins, does not love her soon-to-be stepmother nor moving to another part of town and starting at a fancy new school. Her friend Skylar introduced her to pin collecting, but Skylar (who is nonbinary) tends to focus on the business side of buying and selling the collectibles as a way of supplementing their family’s income. Sophie, who has two moms, got into pin collecting because her twin sister Becca did, but Sophie is also struggling to find a life and identity separate from Becca. Track star Travis, who lives with his grandfather and loves video games, has a crush on his friend Rhyan, who collects pins (often buying them from Skylar) and is friends with Sophie and Becca.
One night, an explosion rocks their neighborhood, after which Angela, Sophie, Travis, and Skylar are each presented with an opportunity to receive a limited-edition pin from a mysterious source. The pins, it turns out, give them each superpowers. The four of them discover that their new powers seem attuned to what they each need to address the challenges in their lives. As they work to figure out where the pins came from, however, they discover that they might be tied to a nearby theme park expansion and a secret cover up.
The story ends on a cliffhanger, but satisfies in its exploration of these young people’s changing lives, friendships, and families. I look forward to the next volume.
One other gay couple is part of the story, but to say more would involve spoilers.
