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Boy 2.0 #2
Kid X
The thrilling sequel to
Boy 2.0
, from
New York Times
bestselling author Tracey Baptiste, perfect for fans of
Amari and the Night Brothers
and
Into the Spiderverse.
Win “Coal” Keegan is starting to get the hang of his new life. He’s come to love his foster family, the McKays, and is getting more confident with his invisibility powers. Almost too much confident. At first, he uses his abilities for small favors. But soon, favors snowball into bigger asks and messier pranks. And when rumors surface about a “ghost” in the neighborhood, Coal realizes it might be best to keep his talents under wraps.
But that gets harder when Coal starts to suspect that someone—or something—might be tracking him. And as the evidence stacks up, Coal realizes he’s not the only one with powers. Is his pursuer friend or foe? What would it be like to meet someone just like him?
As the stakes rise and Coal finds allies and enemies in unexpected places, he’ll have to channel a new level of bravery to protect himself, his family, and his world. Packed with real-world themes of technology, race, and justice, this exhilarating follow-up to Boy 2.0 returns readers to the world of their new favorite superhero.
Win “Coal” Keegan is starting to get the hang of his new life. He’s come to love his foster family, the McKays, and is getting more confident with his invisibility powers. Almost too much confident. At first, he uses his abilities for small favors. But soon, favors snowball into bigger asks and messier pranks. And when rumors surface about a “ghost” in the neighborhood, Coal realizes it might be best to keep his talents under wraps.
But that gets harder when Coal starts to suspect that someone—or something—might be tracking him. And as the evidence stacks up, Coal realizes he’s not the only one with powers. Is his pursuer friend or foe? What would it be like to meet someone just like him?
As the stakes rise and Coal finds allies and enemies in unexpected places, he’ll have to channel a new level of bravery to protect himself, his family, and his world. Packed with real-world themes of technology, race, and justice, this exhilarating follow-up to Boy 2.0 returns readers to the world of their new favorite superhero.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published February 24, 2026
2 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Tracey Baptiste
55 books551 followersFrom Thompson-Gale: "Something About the Author"
I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever as well as the more traditional princess stories. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume among other authors, I announced to my best friend that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read "The Friends" by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then, and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of 21, but I didn't put in the work necessary to become published until my late twenties. "Angel's Grace" was largely written while I was on maternity leave with my first child. It was inspired by my mother (the redhead) and my husband. Because I have very young children, I work when they sleep, which, sadly, is very little.
I have always loved books. My favorite, was an oversized complete Grimm's Fairy Tales with beautiful illustrations, which I lost when my family moved to the United States. I was fascinated by the stories of the tailor who went up against a giant, and clever Hans, who wasn't so clever as well as the more traditional princess stories. When I was about thirteen, after spending a summer in the library reading Paul Zindel and Judy Blume among other authors, I announced to my best friend that I was going to be a writer. I didn't decide what I wanted to write until I read "The Friends" by Rosa Guy. I had recently moved to Brooklyn, NY, and the book spoke to my situation precisely. It remains one of my favorite books. I started writing for children then, and never stopped. I had early interest from publishers from the moment I began submitting stories at the age of 21, but I didn't put in the work necessary to become published until my late twenties. "Angel's Grace" was largely written while I was on maternity leave with my first child. It was inspired by my mother (the redhead) and my husband. Because I have very young children, I work when they sleep, which, sadly, is very little.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 19, 2025
What worked:
This book is the sequel to Boy 2.0, so readers already know Coal can camouflage his appearance. He’s not exactly invisible since he casts a shadow in sunlight, but other people still can’t see him. He’s also staying in a foster home, but he likes his foster parents and their three kids. A major issue for Coal is his frustration and anger at not being independent from the control of others. He doesn’t have a say in where he lives, and an aunt shows up to aggravate the situation. She plans to force Coal into living with her next year, and Coal’s not sure how he feels about that. He wants people to listen to him before making decisions that will affect his life.
Coal’s foster family and his best friend, Door, now know about his camouflage ability, and that’s creating additional problems for him. His foster sister wants him to retrieve a pencil that was stolen by a classmate, but that’s only the beginning of his moral quandary. Getting the pencil back seems like righting a wrong, but what about actions like pranks? Coal realizes he must consider his morals and consider his standards when using his camouflage. Ethics becomes a big issue in the plot, but for a totally different reason. The introduction of his aunt adds a change to the cast of characters, but it also opens the door for an unknown cousin. The story takes an unexpected turn that sends events out of control and will ultimately carry over to this book’s sequel.
Having a new, anonymous owner take control of Mirror Tech infuses a fresh mystique to the plot. Recall, the new owner’s alias, is never seen, but he (or she?) has eyes everywhere in the renamed company, Echo Biometrics. Recall has reassigned many of the former employees, and new cronies now control the camouflage technology. Also, news reports reveal numerous ghost “sightings” around town, and Coal knows he’s only responsible for one of them. Add in Coal’s antsy feeling that he’s being watched, and readers can deduce that someone else is moving around unseen. He discovers that one “ghost” moved his unconscious body to be rescued, so at least one must be friendly, right? What’s the explanation for these ghostly sightings?
What didn’t work as well:
It’s unusual for characters to tell others about their super abilities, so it’s strange to find Coal’s foster family, his best friend, and two characters from Mirror Tech know about his camouflage. Readers may wonder why characters in other books don’t ask for help, but Coal has ample support. His foster parents even know and are helping him manage his ability. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s very uncommon in middle-grade books. Having a support team will be good in the long run.
The final verdict:
Readers probably don’t need to read Boy 2.0 first, but it will establish prior events more clearly. This book becomes an action-packed adventure story, and I recommend you give it a shot.
This book is the sequel to Boy 2.0, so readers already know Coal can camouflage his appearance. He’s not exactly invisible since he casts a shadow in sunlight, but other people still can’t see him. He’s also staying in a foster home, but he likes his foster parents and their three kids. A major issue for Coal is his frustration and anger at not being independent from the control of others. He doesn’t have a say in where he lives, and an aunt shows up to aggravate the situation. She plans to force Coal into living with her next year, and Coal’s not sure how he feels about that. He wants people to listen to him before making decisions that will affect his life.
Coal’s foster family and his best friend, Door, now know about his camouflage ability, and that’s creating additional problems for him. His foster sister wants him to retrieve a pencil that was stolen by a classmate, but that’s only the beginning of his moral quandary. Getting the pencil back seems like righting a wrong, but what about actions like pranks? Coal realizes he must consider his morals and consider his standards when using his camouflage. Ethics becomes a big issue in the plot, but for a totally different reason. The introduction of his aunt adds a change to the cast of characters, but it also opens the door for an unknown cousin. The story takes an unexpected turn that sends events out of control and will ultimately carry over to this book’s sequel.
Having a new, anonymous owner take control of Mirror Tech infuses a fresh mystique to the plot. Recall, the new owner’s alias, is never seen, but he (or she?) has eyes everywhere in the renamed company, Echo Biometrics. Recall has reassigned many of the former employees, and new cronies now control the camouflage technology. Also, news reports reveal numerous ghost “sightings” around town, and Coal knows he’s only responsible for one of them. Add in Coal’s antsy feeling that he’s being watched, and readers can deduce that someone else is moving around unseen. He discovers that one “ghost” moved his unconscious body to be rescued, so at least one must be friendly, right? What’s the explanation for these ghostly sightings?
What didn’t work as well:
It’s unusual for characters to tell others about their super abilities, so it’s strange to find Coal’s foster family, his best friend, and two characters from Mirror Tech know about his camouflage. Readers may wonder why characters in other books don’t ask for help, but Coal has ample support. His foster parents even know and are helping him manage his ability. It’s not necessarily bad, but it’s very uncommon in middle-grade books. Having a support team will be good in the long run.
The final verdict:
Readers probably don’t need to read Boy 2.0 first, but it will establish prior events more clearly. This book becomes an action-packed adventure story, and I recommend you give it a shot.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Continuing the story started in Boy 2.0, Win "Coal" Keegan is starting to accept his invisibility while also experimenting with how he can profit from it personally. A few escapades bring Peter Parker's Spider-Man origin story to mind, especially the legacy of "with great power comes great responsibility" left by Peter's uncle. Coal wrestles with the concern shown by his foster family, the McKays, wavering between continuing his risky behavior and considering leaving because his abilities put them in danger.
Coal’s life grows even more complicated when he realizes the pursuits haven’t stopped; he has a birth relative who shows up to claim him, but he’s also being tracked by new enemies. Even though his nemesis from Book 1 is contained under house arrest, Coal finds himself in new heart-pounding chases and investigations. The book ends with another cliffhanger, leaving the reader to wonder whether Baptiste really intends this story to remain a duology.
Coal’s story invites the reader to continue to grapple with the big issues introduced in his first book while also expanding into new territory. Besides themes of social justice and the balance of power vs. responsibility, there is also much to ponder around the ethics of AI and technology -- even more so than in Book 1.
In all, a 5-star read that I look forward to placing next to Book 1 in my classroom library. Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Coal’s life grows even more complicated when he realizes the pursuits haven’t stopped; he has a birth relative who shows up to claim him, but he’s also being tracked by new enemies. Even though his nemesis from Book 1 is contained under house arrest, Coal finds himself in new heart-pounding chases and investigations. The book ends with another cliffhanger, leaving the reader to wonder whether Baptiste really intends this story to remain a duology.
Coal’s story invites the reader to continue to grapple with the big issues introduced in his first book while also expanding into new territory. Besides themes of social justice and the balance of power vs. responsibility, there is also much to ponder around the ethics of AI and technology -- even more so than in Book 1.
In all, a 5-star read that I look forward to placing next to Book 1 in my classroom library. Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The follow-up to Boy 2.0 by @traceybaptistewrites
🦸🏾♂️
Coal Keegan is finally settling into life with the McKays and growing more confident in his invisibility powers, maybe a little too confident. What starts as harmless favors and pranks quickly spirals into trouble, especially when rumors of a neighborhood “ghost” begin to spread. As Coal senses that someone (or something) may be tracking him, he discovers he’s not the only one with extraordinary abilities. With new allies, unexpected enemies, and higher stakes than ever, Coal must find the courage to protect his family and himself in a world where power, technology, race, and justice collide.
🦸🏾♂️
I really enjoyed returning to Coal’s world and seeing how much he’s grown, both in his confidence and in the consequences of his choices. I liked that this sequel pushed the story beyond invisibility and into bigger questions about power, responsibility, and who gets to use technology safel (especially in this new world of AI). The introduction of others with abilities raised the stakes in a way that felt natural and kept me hooked. Coal’s love for his foster family continues to ground the story, making the scifi elements even more impactful. This sequel deepens the series in smart, meaningful ways and releases 2/24!
CW: emesis, racism, theft
🦸🏾♂️
Coal Keegan is finally settling into life with the McKays and growing more confident in his invisibility powers, maybe a little too confident. What starts as harmless favors and pranks quickly spirals into trouble, especially when rumors of a neighborhood “ghost” begin to spread. As Coal senses that someone (or something) may be tracking him, he discovers he’s not the only one with extraordinary abilities. With new allies, unexpected enemies, and higher stakes than ever, Coal must find the courage to protect his family and himself in a world where power, technology, race, and justice collide.
🦸🏾♂️
I really enjoyed returning to Coal’s world and seeing how much he’s grown, both in his confidence and in the consequences of his choices. I liked that this sequel pushed the story beyond invisibility and into bigger questions about power, responsibility, and who gets to use technology safel (especially in this new world of AI). The introduction of others with abilities raised the stakes in a way that felt natural and kept me hooked. Coal’s love for his foster family continues to ground the story, making the scifi elements even more impactful. This sequel deepens the series in smart, meaningful ways and releases 2/24!
CW: emesis, racism, theft
March 2, 2026
The fantastic sequel to Boy 2.0 that ups the ante. Coal is settling in with his foster family but new people are appearing like his Aunt that he didn't know about. But then Dr. Achebe from the medical institute is ousted and there's also a ghost creeping around town that is even more of a mystery. Things are not going well and Coal has to figure out just what's going on- could this person creeping around town and following him be someone who is trying to hurt him or help him?
Baptiste's books are fast-paced, the chapters are short, Coal is an awesomely vivid main character with an even cooler personality, and all of the secondary characters compliment the action and scifi angle of Coal's invisibility powers (as well as unraveling the larger scientific discoveries that the medical institute is trying to work on). Can't wait for the next installment.
Baptiste's books are fast-paced, the chapters are short, Coal is an awesomely vivid main character with an even cooler personality, and all of the secondary characters compliment the action and scifi angle of Coal's invisibility powers (as well as unraveling the larger scientific discoveries that the medical institute is trying to work on). Can't wait for the next installment.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Publisher ARC— Coal is beginning to understand this gift he has (read Boy 2.0), and it’s fun to use his invisibility to help people and/or make money! But he knows this gift should be for something greater but when another person?/thing? With invisibility gets into the mix, Coal wonders if he isn’t the only one with this power. And what will the world of research do if more find out?
November 19, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
The first book has circulated well, so I will buy this sequel.
The first book has circulated well, so I will buy this sequel.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews