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Gesso Squad and The Stone of the Sun by V.J. Brockett, author and illustrator Lulu
book review by Karyn Saemann
"Surreal Girl and Kitty Boy pursued the print which ran down the dusty road. They watched skaters at the Chandler skate park avoid the strange, two-legged painting. It appeared as if the woodblock print had been trying to stare people down."
A team of teenage superheroes fights sinister alien art thieves in the first of the "Gesso Squad" series. The team operates secretly out of an Arizona high school, juggling crime fighting with things like homework and prom. Their primary target is Yarka, a flying fish and pirate captain who is plotting to revive the sculpture Adaro. If awakened, Adaro will help Yarka get revenge on humans who have imprisoned her family in fish bowls and eaten them for dinner for centuries. Ultimately, Yarka teams with other villains to collect a series of ancient stones that, when brought together, will rouse Adaro.
The plot is complex and it's a challenge to keep straight the large cast of superheroes, all of whom have alter egos. Future books in the series might benefit from focusing on one or two superheroes at a time, bringing different characters to the forefront in each new title. Instead of sticking to one region of the world per book and deeply exposing readers to a single culture, the book takes a worldwide sweep as the teens globe-hop from New York City to many places including Kenya, South America, the Antarctic, and Tibet. The globetrotting exposes readers to an array of world culture, history, and art. That is Brockett's clear, deftly accomplished, goal. Brockett also deserves praise for the great discussion questions that close out each chapter and for her multicultural team of superheroes who hail from across the world including from Haiti, Italy, Africa. and Peru.