CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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Superman Smashes the Klan

by Gene Luen Yang

CCBC Review:

In 1946, Roberta and Tommy Lee’s Chinese American family moves from Chinatown to the suburbs of Metropolis after their scientist dad gets a new job. Their father encourages them to assimilate as much as possible, something easier for Tommy, through baseball, and their dad than it is for Roberta and their mother. When the family becomes the target of the local branch of the Klan of the Fiery Kross, they come to the attention of Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent’s Daily Planet colleagues Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Superman comes to the rescue and takes on the Klan in a story with plenty of fast-paced Superhero action and satisfying comeuppance. But a quieter yet no less essential element of this graphic novel is the way in which Roberta’s struggles in her new surroundings parallel Superman’s own origin story as an outsider/alien suppressing his true identity and real talents to try to fit in. An author’s note provides fascinating information about Superman battling the Klan to save a Chinese American family in the radio serial just after World War II, as well as Yang’s reflection on being a Chinese American kid who loved comics. ©2021 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Illustrated by Gurihiru

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 11 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Graphic Novel
Subjects: 20th Century Asian Americans Chinese and Chinese Americans Fantasy Historical Fiction Identity Moving Racism Superheroes
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklists: Fantastic Fiction: Great Fantasy Books for Ages 11 to 17 Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publisher: DC Comics
Publish Year: 2020
Pages: 239
ISBN: 9781779504210
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 741.5 Yang

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