Hero

by Mike Lupica

Fourteen-year-old Zach Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can textmessage himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Zach. What Zach never knew was that his father was no ordinary man-he was a superhero, battling the world's evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries.

And now it's Zach's turn to take on the fight. It's Zach's turn to become a hero.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction, Middle Grade, Superheroes, Mystery

289 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2010

About the author

Michael Lupica is an author and American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily News and his appearances on ESPN.

Reviews

[Mrs. Claar · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really expecting more. I just kept waiting and waiting for the book to get good or better.... Did NOT happen. As for action and descriptive writing, this book is a total let down. MIKE - keep to the sports novels. War and Peace would have taken less time to read than this - I just needed to get to the end to confirm it was that bad. It was like sitting in a theater going - really???

My dad was a hero and led a secret life that we didn't know about.... Blah blah blah.....He dies - or was he murdered?? .... I'm going to be a hero.... Blah Blah Blah..... Mysterious stranger ..... There are bad people called (very creative) "the bads", but we give no evidence of anyone doing anything bad..... reference to 9-11 being blamed on "the bads".... Don't know who to trust, including a trusted family member.... "Big twist" (haha) - saw it coming.... Bads finally did something bad, maybe it was them? - Lame ending used to lead into a less than anticipated sequel that I won't be reading.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

Was tempted by the superheroes, but I am so far from being the ideal audience for Lupica. I immediately could not take this book seriously. Probably because I'm not ten.

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I kept falling asleep listening to the audiobook, but little did I know that would serve as a metaphor for my feelings about this.

The writing is super juvenile and underdeveloped: there are the "Goods" and the "Bads" and most of the book is spent ruminating on them, but there's no real development over the course of the book. There's a plot twist that comes way too close to the end: the book concludes with a note of moving forward, but barely anything actually happens during the book. There's a ton of convoluted background involving the characters that's hastily thrown in last minute, but it's just shoved in because the book was ending. I would say this is a really good example of a bad superhero story, because it latches onto the most popular tropes but doesn't do anything with them.

The book also has a lot of underlying misogyny: the women are relegated to side characters and undermined in the typical adventure genre way. Hard pass on this one.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much and I think it finally pulled me out of a two-month long reading slump!

[Franco · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were elements that I did not like about the book and elements I found interesting. First off, the two elements that I did not like in the book were the tons of sports references and lack of character introduction. I am not much of a sports fan to fully understand the references that were made in the book. e.g. David Wright on the Mets team. I do not know who they are but I do find out that Mets is a baseball team. Another example is the basketball team , Knicks. David Lee was said to be on the team and some bits of the game was commentated which I understood from the physical education classes. Free throw, first half, time-out. The book lacked character introduction, which I liked to read about most and find out how the characters act the way they do. Zach’s dad, which died during a top secret mission for the government, was not fully introduced. All I know is that he has powers that help him in these missions and that he does not have enough time to spend with Zach, to fulfill the promises made by him, due to the missions. Right before Zach learns his first power, he meets a old man which was not described much by Lupica but a man to hate, a great friend of Zach’s father and a man who is leading Zach fight with the goods like his father.
The thing I liked about the book was how Zach got his powers. It interested me to know that to gain power, you must be related to the person who currently has the powers. When that person dies, the power is passed on to you and you either fight with the good guys or the bad guys, government or the “bads”. During the story, Zach gains powers like running faster, healing faster than normal, jumping higher and improved hearing senses. They are all cool but quite original as we see them in comic books that I cannot think off the top of my head.

[Cheyann Coffelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever thought that your parents were superheros with inhuman abilities? Well for Zach Harriman and his family, that is true with their dad. He was a government agent who was trying to take down “the bads”. After he captured the leader and almost took down the organization he got into a plane crash. Now Zach and his family are paying for it but was it an accident? Will Zach’s family ever be the same again? Read Hero today to find out out!

The author of Hero is Mike Lupica. He is an American newspaper columnist, best known for his provocative commentary on sports in the New York Daily and his appearances on ESPN. Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America, Lupica is also a novelist. Lupica has written 18 books, but he has also co-wrote autobiographies and collaborated with screenwriter William Goldman.

Death, family drama, and mystery. If you like any of these themes then Hero is the book for you. Hero covers all of these themes really well and you know how the characters are feeling and you can feel it too. The death of his father right now is what the whole book is about and how tragic the events leading up to his death and his death. It also covers family drama and how the events that have happened is affecting Zach and his mother. The mystery comes with Zach and the fact that he thinks his father's death isn’t an accident along with all of the mystery that the beginning of the book left you with.

Mystery and Drama, where everything started came with an organization called “the bad”. Zach’s dad is the one who tried to take them down and after he captured “the rat”, main leader, he got into a plane crash. Zach does not believe that it was an accident. He wants to find out what really happened to his father so he is investigating his father's death. His father had some inhuman characteristics that made him such a great spy and a great agent. Zach’s father didn’t want Zach to go through what he went through but throughout the book you can see him becoming more and more like his father. I agree with how his using real world examples to connect with the reader and get his attention.

There is something interesting about the way that Mike Lupica has written this book. Lupica knew what audience he would be writing for and he used that to his advantage to get there attention. He knew that this book was going to be read by teenagers so he put in problems that all teens have, like bullies. He also has put in certain points to grab the reader's attention and make them want to keep reading the book. The main idea of this book is to keep pushing through all of the hard times because things will get better. I also shows people that no matter what people say, think, or do if you put your mind to something then you will be able to do it.

I would give Hero a 3.5 star rating. I think that this book is a very interesting book but it is meant for younger readers. The book gives a lot of situations that happen in every teenagers life but the reading and the word choices are a little too easy for more advanced readers. It is also a very emotional book because a young boy has lost his father, someone who he never really got to know. It is sad because a boy needs his father to teach him the easy but he is already so much like his father and is becoming more and more like him everyday. This book is like no other that I have read it has so many new concepts that are not like any of the popular books now a day.

[Camille · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointed. Maybe I just got the rough draft?

I have loved his books in the past which is why this dive into the superhero/fantasy genre is such a disappointment.

The book is oddly paced. Young Billy and his soulmate/girl friend Kate just didn't ring true. The adults in the story are flat out weird but NOT in a quirky, charming way.

The Story line:
Billy's father dies in a plane crash while on a special mission. This is very sad because Billy adored his father who was "special" in more ways than anyone knows. Billy cannot accept the scenario of his father's death (shades of Alex Rider.)

Billy's mother deserts him to work on the presidential campaign of a charismatic, and oh so sincere senator who's main talent seems to be giving great speeches that really, really inspire people. Billy almost swoons in his presence and pledges to work for his campaign. Billy seems OK with his mother's emotional abandonment since it is her way of coping with his father's death. I understand the writer needs to get the parent out of the way but he made me feel like she should be locked up for child neglect.

Oh course, Billy begins to discover that he has "powers." Like Harry Potter, Percy Jackson,& Luke Skywalker, his special talents must be nurtured and honed because people are after him and he has no idea why.

Apparently great evil in the world is perpetrated by the "Bads." They seem to have been responsible for 9-11 every other bad thing that happens in the world. Who knew? Really? These "bads" are very very bad, I guess.

So far, not the stuff of classic fantasy here. Each chapter ends with a sentence that should be accompanied by a dramatic musical flourish, 'duh, duh, duuuuuhhhhh." At first I thought it was supposed to be satire but apparently, not. Lupica understands the rhythm of a basketball game. He needs more review of Joseph Campbell and the "hero's quest" to pull this off it would appear.

The book is very much a set-up for what will, no doubt, be several sequels. Not completely un-readable but Lupica didn't sell me at all with this debut. Maybe when Billy gets to "hero school" or "hero camp." On the other hand if the oh-so charming politician turns out to me Mr. Big of the "Bads" he may get something rolling. Until then I would rather read a Lupica novel about curling or synchronized swimming.

Mike Lupica excels at stories about sports and the kids who play them. He writes with an understanding of the games and the physical and mental investment it takes to participate in them. He writes with honesty and emotion about his young protagonists. I hear the squeak of shoes on a gym floor and I can smell the grass at the baseball field. That is why this miss was so disappointing.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zach Harriman was a normal teenage boy, he is 14 or 15, I can't remember but I think its something of that number. He thought he had a normal life, but one day, he ran up to his apartment and all his family members were there, crying. He knew his father was gone. The only thing he wanted was his father because he had never really spent much time with his dad. Zach wanted to investigate his father's death because he knew his dad was close to the President of the United States. Zach had made a thought that maybe his fathers death wasn't an accident but instead, a murder by a organization called the Bads. Zach then learned that his father had super powers. He then figured that these powers passed down to him, now that he knows that he has this power, him and Kate went on a journey to find out the truth about his fathers death.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Kentucky Bluegrass Award nominee; our YA2. Zach Harriman is a wealthy, but fairly ordinary 14-year-old living in a swank, Manhattan high rise apartment with his mother and several staff. Zach's father has just died when the small plane he was piloting crashed near Long Island. Zach's father had traveled extensively for his job as "special assistant to the President," and now his death prompts Zach to find out more about his dad's life and work. Zach is especially suspicious about the cause of the plane crash. Zach eventually learns that he has special powers, and that his father did, too. At the end, Zach is just beginning his journey as a new "hero," and the ending begs for a sequel. The plot is not action-driven, but rather focuses on Zach's struggle to unravel the puzzle of his dad's life and death and also focuses on Zach's psychological journey from normal kid to superhero. The story moved a bit slow for my taste, with a lot of description of Zach's internal struggles. The book is 289 pages long, and Zach doesn't actually begin his 'journey' in any active way until he visits the site of the plane crash on page 110. So, that's 110 pages of teenage angst! In the later pages of the book, Zach demonstrates only infrequent, subtle hints of his superpowers, with only ONE amazing superhero act (saving someone's life) at the very end of the book. There are references after page 140 or so to "the bads," who are evidently supposed to be the 'bad guys' in the book, but the reader never gets to meet any of them (except one who USED to be bad, but who is now trying to atone for his sins). So, I was really disappointed that I never got to see just what kind of evil Zach is going to be fighting. There is a pretty cool surprise discovery for Zach at the end (which I won't spoil here!) that I thought was pretty cool. Overall, the book is somewhat subtle and slow-moving. I wouldn't recommend it to a reluctant reader. Some readers might be expecting a Percy Jackson-type action novel, but they would be disappointed in the lack of action. (However, readers who already like Lupica's books will like this one, too.)

[Maddie D · Rating 3 out of 5]

6TH RESPONSE:

I am currently reading Hero by: Mike Lupica. So far this book is about a young 14 year old named Zach. His father dies in an airplane crash delivering the “Rat,” (a bad guy,) to someone who’s been looking for him for a long time. Zach comes home one day and his entire family that lives in his location, is at his house with sad and serious faces. Right then Zack knows he will never be seeing his father again. His school friend, Kate, father has already died also. She knows how to handle it better than Zach’s mom. They work together to overcome the sadness of their father’s death. So far this book has literally touched my heart. For example I think it’s really nice of Kate to help Zach overcome his father’s death when she has already been in Zach’s place. Another example would be I think it’s really sad that both Kate and Zach’s fathers had died, but that’s when the book usually comes very interesting. I think this is definitely a faced paced book and character driven. It’s faced paced because on the 3rd chapter Zach’s father is dead. But its character driven because a lot of it is about the characters because Zach’s dad is dead, along with Kate’s, and their trying to help each other. This book relates to me because one time my friend and I were stuck on a homework page and we both helped each other and finally figured it out. I can’t wait to read more of this amazing book!

[Catherine C · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I really like the book Hero by Mike Lupica because it does not start our boring like most books. It starts out suspenseful. It is about a man named Tom Harriman who works for the president of the United States. He is on a mission to get a bad guy. on the way back his plane crashes. Now his son Zach wants to find out how his plane crashes. I think that this is a good book for people who like suspense and fantasy. I think Lupica did a good job describing Zach's feelings because I can feel what he feels. So far I would give this book 5 stars because it leaves you hanging.

[Stevie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am finishing up Hero by Mike Lupica. The book tells a story of a fourteen year boy who has lost his farther to a plane crash over the ocean. His father was a very successful man. When Zach is walking along the beach thinking about his father death's, he meets a man who tells him that Zach has magic. Later in the book Zach is almost kidnapped by a tall stranger. Zach's uncle John saves him from the stranger. I enjoyed the excitement in this book. I can't wait to read the ending.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boooorrrring...

[Nana S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coooooooooooooooooool! Book

[Ian Rhines · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book I have ever read! I read this book for school for a book club that we are doing this term. I recommend this book for people who enjoy adventure and excitement.

[Wilder · Rating 1 out of 5]

It doesn't even deserve one star, it took me forever to get through. Reading it was like pulling a elephant through quicksand.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I think that this book was well written. It takes place in a lot of different places and I will love to read a different book from him.

[Zach A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero
They Killed His Father, and Now They’re Coming For Him.
What if I told you that you could become the world’s greatest superhero, but your father would have to die? Zach Harriman a 13-year-old New Yorker is faced with this terrible predicament, when his father, Tom Harriman dies. Zach soon starts to notice that he has unexplainable powers that can only be described as super powers. A family friend tells Zach that his dad was a superhero and that when he died, Zach became a superhero. At first Zach cares nothing for his powers. He simply wants his father back. Soon though, he starts to discover that to protect himself and those he loves from ‘The Bads’, he needs to learn how to use his powers without hesitation. When he learns of an attempt on the president’s life that only a superhero can prevent, will Zach be willing to turn against someone close to him for the good of the country? In doing so will he become a hero or a villain? Finally, will he solve the mystery of his father’s death? Read the adventure novel Hero by Mike Lupica to find out. The theme of this book is be true to yourself even when others doubt you, shown in the way Zach relentlessly pursues the truth of his father’s death, his loyalty to Mr. Herbert, and the way he fearlessly fights evil forces plotting to kill the president.
To begin with, the theme is first demonstrated by the way Zach continues to pursue the facts concerning his father’s death. His best friend and family tell him that his father’s death was simply an accidental plane crash. But Zach has a feeling that his father, the strongest and best man he knew, would’ve found some way to stop the plane from crashing. Zach showed his determination to find out the truth of his father’s death when he said, “It’s not like I’m fixed on it. Or it’s something I really want to do. It’s something I feel like I have to do.’ Zach said. ‘Why? Why do you need to go see the place where your father died? It’s just an empty field now, it’s not really even considered a crash site anymore.’ Said his mother with a tone of finality. ‘ Mom I can’t explain it that well, I just have a feeling that something more than just a plane crash happened that night. Dad would have been able to right the plane. I just want to go out there to where he died just to look around. Mom, I need to do this” (96). Despite Zach’s pleading with his mother, she dismisses his requests. Still, Zach searches for clues, and one day he sneaks out to the field on Long Island where his father’s plane went down. There, he finds out that his father was actually a superhero that protected our country from forces of evil too great for our military to fight. When young Zach learns this, he is convinced that someone killed his father. After all, a superhero would’ve jumped out the plane and flown away right? These findings invigorate Zach’s search for the truth even more. Eventually he does learn that his father was murdered. Had Zach listened to his mother and not done what he knew was best for himself, he would not have discovered the truth about how his father really died. Also he wouldn’t have found his superpowers.
Secondly, the theme is demonstrated by the way Zach continues to help Mr. Herbert fight ‘the Bads’, despite being warned not to by his Uncle John and his mother. Mr. Herbert is a mysterious, elderly gentleman who was the first person to tell Zach that his father was a superhero and that Zach is now one too. Zach helps Mr. Herbert in fighting off ‘the Bads’ when they attack. In return, Mr. Herbert, who also has powers, helps to sharpen Zach’s abilities. However, Zach’s Uncle John, the only who Tom Harriman confided in about his superpowers, tells Zach that Mr. Herbert is actually a very evil man who is manipulating Zach to fight the forces of good, and not evil. Uncle John is insistent, saying, “Who is he? I mean, really?’” Uncle John leaned forward said, ‘Someone to be feared […] He’s not your friend and he wasn’t your dad’s friend either. Believe me when I tell you he is nobody’s friend. He says a lot of things, and acts as if he knows more than he does and that’s just a way of getting close to you, now that he knows you have powers” (178). Despite John’s effort to paint Mr. Herbert in a negative way, Zach continues to believe that Mr. Herbert is a good person, and that Zach should follow his instincts and help him.
Finally, the theme is demonstrated by the way Zach fearlessly fights ‘the Bads’. He has discovered that they are trying to assassinate the next president of the United States. Zach tries to confide in his uncle John as well as Mr. Herbert. Both men reject Zach’s theory. This quote shows his Uncle John’s reaction when Zach informs him of the plot to kill the next president and what he plans to do about it. “Zachary, you aren’t ready to fight the Bads, and even if you were, they aren’t going to assassinate Kerrigan” (242). Zach, however, knows that Uncle John is indeed wrong in his beliefs, and continues to plan how he will save this man’s life. It turns out that Senator Kerrigan was in fact about to be assassinated when Zach took down the gunman that was aiming for him. If Zach hadn’t done what he knew he needed to do and listened to Uncle John, Senator Kerrigan would have been shot and killed.
In conclusion, the theme of Hero is trust yourself even when others doubt you. I can connect to this theme because a lot of times I am told by teachers, friends, or coaches what to do, however, many times they are wrong, and only I really know what is best for me. For example, when I was younger, my baseball coach tried to change my batting stance because he didn’t like it, however, I knew my stance was very good and his idea just felt wrong to me, so I kept my stance, and I hit extremely well with what I knew was best for me. I loved this book and would give it four out of five stars.

[Michael Hickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response: I read the book, Hero, by Mike Lupica. This book was a really interesting read. It was full of action and kept my attention throughout the whole story. I always looked forward to reading the book, and I even read some of it in my personal time. I thought this was a very good book.

Plot: The book started out with a kid, Zach Harriman, who was waiting for his dad to come home from a business trip. News came into the family who Zach’s father died in a plane crash. It was said that the plane crash was an accident, but Zach had a feeling that it was not an accident. Two months go by and everything seemed to be back to normal again. Zach still could not shake the feeling that his father’s plane was sabotaged. He begged his mother to go to the crash site for closure, but his mother said she was too busy running Senator Kerrigan’s presidential campaign with Uncle John. Zach decided to sneak away and go look at it by himself. He looked at the site but did not see much. A man appeared out of nowhere. That man talked to Zach and explained that he was Mr. Herbert. He was a friend of his dads. Mr. Herbert also told Zach that he had magic powers inside him that came from his dad. Before Zach could question him any further, Mr. Herbert vanished.
Zach made it back home and realized that his reflexes had improved. He told his nanny’s daughter, Kate, about his new found powers. She worried about him, because with great power comes great responsibility. Zach was walking home from school one day, and he got jumped by three big dudes. Zach managed to knock out two of them. He then got beat up really bad by the third one. Zach was hospitalized for his injuries and came to find out that Mr. Herbert sent the three guys after him to test his abilities. Zach did not know how to feel about this new information. Zach healed up really quick, and he was back to training in no time. There was a rally in Central Park for Senator Kerrigan that Zach’s mother wanted him to go to. Zach went and during the senator’s speech, Zach noticed a shooter in the window. He quickly ran over and tackled the senator moments before the shot was fired. He saved the senators life. Mr. Herbert then showed up to help Zach but got shot by the shooter. While Mr. Herbert was dying, he told Zach that he was his grandfather. After he learned the truth about his grandfather and his powers, he vowed to always use his powers to get rid of the bad people in the world.

Characterization: The main character in the book is Zach Harriman. He is a fourteen year old kid that just had his father pass away. He has a magic in him that makes him incredibly swift, strong, and vigilant. He inherited these abilities from his father. Another one of the main characters is Mr. Herbert. Mr. Herbert is just an alias he goes by, but his real name was never stated in the book. He is a very old man that always wears the same leather jacket. At the end of the story, it came out that he is Zach’s grandfather. Uncle John is another main character. This is a family friend of the Harrimans. Uncle John was Zach’s dad’s best friend. He is a middle aged man and lost Zach’s trust at the end of the book.

Impact of Setting: The book takes place in present day Manhattan. The importance of it being present day in this book allows the characters to use technology. This part of New York City has an impact of the story, because the majority of the action in this book happens in Central Park. Central Park is a perfect place for the action of this story because there is always a lot of people present in New York City.

Importance of Theme: The theme of the book was heavily based on trust. Throughout the entire book, Zach was faced with the dilemma of not knowing who to trust. Zach had to be patient and alert to figure out who was the right person to trust. Most of the story was based on trust, and the book would not of ended the way it did without Zach putting his trust into who he believed to be the right person.

Rating/ Recommendation: I give the book, Hero, four out of five stars. I recommend this to everybody 10 years and older. I think it best suits boys in high school and middle school, because it has a main character who is a boy . The book is more geared towards boys because, the story contains action and fight scenes. I rate this book four out of five stars because I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was a pretty good book all around.

[Exander]

Personal Response:

In my opinion this was not the best of Mike Lupica's works, but it was still a good book. He tried to branch off from all of his sports books and make something new. This book does feel like it deserves a second book. It was well written for someone who would stick to the traditional sports books. I think that Mike Lupica should write more of his sports books but also do some more of these types of books. I would also love to have a second book in the series.

Plot:

Zach is a fourteen-year-old boy who is living in New York City with his mother, their housekeeper Alba, and her daughter Kate. Zach's dad had always been away for business so Zach would not be able to see him for long periods of time. One day while Zach was in central park he had a bad feeling and ran back to his house. When he got to the house everyone did not look very happy. At this point and time Zach knew he would never see his father again. His father had died in a plane crash. They told Zach that the plane crash was an accident, but Zach had another idea. Zach had a feeling that it was not an accident but it was actually on purpose. When he goes to school next his long time bully Spencer “tries” to “comfort” him. After a while Zach starts to feel different. He could hear much better, see better, and move better. Everything about him got better. One day he decides to go to where the plane had crashed and see if he could find anything about how his dad had died, or who had tried to kill him. When he gets there he meets a man who calls himself Mr. Herbert. He tells Zach that he has the magic just like his father.

Characterization:

When the book first starts out Zach was a easy target for bullying, so he was a weak kid. After the whole thing with his dad had went down he had started to get stronger and more brave. The changes that happened because of the magic had helped Zach gain some confidence and made it possible for him to do thing that he never thought he’d be able to do. Like when Zach had saved the man from getting shoot, Zach would have never been able to do that if it was not for his powers being there.

Recommendations:

I would recommend this book to anyone who has read any of Mike Lupica’s other book and has liked them. I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not like the whole nonfiction superpower books. I would recommend this book to a lot of different age groups. This book is quite an easy read, so that is why i recommend this book to a lot of different age groups. The book is most likely ment for a younger age group

[Blake]

“Hero” by Mike Lupica is a fictional chapter book. It begins with a secret agent, Tom Harriman, who is the President’s secret assistant. He obtained his job as an assistant because he has special powers, like a sixth sense. He is sent out on a mission to find a bad guy named The Rat. He finds him and takes him to a getaway plane, after he figures out he is being followed. From that point on, the reader only knows that the plane had crashed and Tom has passed away. He left behind his wife and fourteen year old son, Zach. Zach is an average freshman boy and is nothing better, as far as he knows. When he hears his dad has died, it hits him hard. Life after that for Zach would be forever changed. Then he starts to have changes to his personal appearance and also his mind. He started to get very strong and also gained an interest in solving problems. Not too long after all the changes began, the President and others show up to his house to see him. They do tests and studies on him to see if he has powers like his dad. It turns out he has the same capabilities as his father. They decide they want him to help out and catch bad guys and live in the footsteps of his father. He accepts the job and goes straight into training. He accepts some jobs and starts to get the hang of things. He is a great hero for the nation, and his father by stepping up and taking on the harder tasks.

The main character in this book is Zach who is a regular high school student. He is a very athletic and outgoing kid in the story and is liked by everyone. He does what he has to do when needed and does it right. He ends up being a huge hero to his mom, dad, and the whole world for stopping the bad guys.

The setting of this book takes place in the United States. It takes place in modern times usually in a high school setting. Tom and Zach both worked in the White House alongside the President. They both also appear at their house. When Zach accepts the jobs, the setting changes between different crimes scenes and the White House.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good chapter book to read. Also, to anyone who is a fan of Mike Lupica, because it is one of his best books. It is quite easy to read and to follow along with. I rate this book a four out of five stars because it sometimes drags on instead of getting to the point, but overall it was a good book.

[Mary Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm wavering between one and two stars, so my rating might change.

I had the ARC for this book, and normally I think nothing of commenting on a properly published title, but I do notice that the name of the main character changed from Billy to Zach. So I'm not sure what else has changed. I'm not sad to see "Billy Ball" go away, though.

I'm beginning to think I've lost my touch with the very YA, in that I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be looking for, but I'm not thrilled at what I'm seeing. But I'm also not the primary audience. I assume that the focus is on action as much as possible, because that gets the story moving. But there's so much missing here. Character development is absolutely bare. I feel like I know so little about Billy/Zach, and I know you can still do good character development from a third person perspective. And Billy/Zach has some good lines, but that's about it. A lot of what happens in this book happens in quick, unhelpful summaries of time passing. Even the action sequences are really not descriptive.

The book moves incredibly fast, and I think that's part of the problem. The book focuses on several very specific instances, but the mundane is where we sometimes learn more about the characters and, perhaps, how we might cope right along with the characters as they go along. But that's missing here, so it makes it that much harder to relate to anyone in this book. When reading most of the dialogue, I feel like someone took scissors to it and left about 1/8th of what is supposed to be there.

I also have no idea what the heck happened. So Billy/Zach has abilities, but there's never any explanation about where this came from. We don't even have a clear idea about what the powers are, and we don't have a clear idea about what Tom's role was prior to this happening. I mean, we sort of know: the enforcer sort of spy who takes people out before they can hurt other people. But let's not say that because that could come off badly. The lack of explanation about anything makes so little sense.

And the Bads? Don't even get me started. I think we can give kids a little more credit than this. By the end of this book, I was about as frustrated as Billy/Zach because nearly everyone seems to know what's going on and won't tell him. I think the difference is that Billy/Zach is taking it better than I am.

[Kelly J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hero
Mike Lupica
289 pages
mystery

Hero is about a boy named Zach who's father dies in a plane crash. Now Zach's dad who was a spy or secret service man and he was coming home from a trip when his plane crashed. Everyone thinks it was an accident accept Zach. Zach thinks it was not an accident because of his dad's job. So Zach tries to find out if it is or isn't by researching it and going to the crash sight. Zach's mom tries to make Zach forget about it all and move on but Zach doesn't give up. When Zach went to the crash sight he met an older man who turns out to be Zach's grandpa but he doesn't know that until the end of the book. And at the end of the book Zach's grandpa dies from a bullet shot. The whole time he was alive though he was trying to help Zach train for when it was time for Zach's time to shine and help stop the bad guys.

I liked this book because it was full of action and had lots of suspense. I made a connection to Zach because he loves to play basketball and so do I and i thought that was cool how we both play basketball and are athletes. This book was full of action because you didn't know what was going to happen next like if was going to have to fight someone or if he was going to get in trouble you just didn't know and I thought Mike Lupica did a really good job at that. This book was full of suspense because Zach had to fight a lot of different people just to pass a test and sometimes he almost got killed. All of those test were from his grandpa testing him to see if he was ready to move on to something else or if he was getting better and better as the days went on. Zach's grandpa was making it harder and harder for Zach because he cared about him. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a mystery and some action. Those are some reasons why I liked the book Hero.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero is like an extremely mild version of Alex Rider: the young protagonist is 14-year-old Zach who spends more time finding out what he can and ought to do than actually doing anything. There is much less violence: a plotted plane crash resulting in the death of its occupants, one assassination attempt, and a couple of gang-ups/beat-ups which leave Zach hurt but not too badly, and which were only part of his training anyway.

Most of the story is built on trying to figure out who he can trust. Both his 'uncle' John (whose exact relationship to Zach I can't work out) and his mysterious mentor Mr Herbert try to win Zach's trust and turn him against the other, and I felt only Mr Herbert's case was ever more or less resolved. Uncle John's association with 'the bads' and his position towards Zach's late father is extremely vague, but from what I can gather we're not supposed to trust him.

Character and relationship development is not deep but basically positive; Zach's only real friend is Kate who accompanies him for most of the book and who plays the part of the 'smart female' whose intelligence helps to solve the mysteries. Other 'friends' are mentioned in passing but we never see or hear from them. Zach's relationship with his mother is fine but not deep.

Zach's character does develop as he learns about his magical powers which cause his temper to flare so that he can respond with sufficient adrenalin to desperate situations. A few times he realises that he has let his anger go too far and doesn't like the kind of person it makes him become. Thereafter he works hard to keep it under control.

Though it's 289 pages long it is a simple story and would really only appeal to young boy readers, 8 or 9-year-olds, who are looking for an easy hero adventure.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first chapter is told in first person by Tom Harriman, a secret agent with secret powers and a sixth sense on a secret mission to capture a bad guy known as the Rat. He easily defeats four guards and their backups. Then bullets pass right through him (or he's able to dodge around them) as he lugs his unconscious prisoner to the get-away plane. As he's flying away, he sees someone with white hair on the runway who was supposed to be on the other side of the world. This unexpected encounter kills his victory rush and makes him feel like he's the one being chased. At this point, the story changes perspectives to that of Tom's son, Zach, just as he learns about his father's death in a plane crash. His life is never the same again. The third-person voice is casual and chatty with lots of sentence fragments, and mostly limited to Zach's perspective, though we have a scene or two from the perspective of Zach's best friend Kate, whose mom works for the Harrimans and lives in the same Central Park apartment in New York. Slowly, Zach becomes aware of his new powers as he tries to avoid the school bully Spence and find out what really happened to his dad, the best pilot in the world. The action is slower than some of today's popular action-adventure books, but the characters are well developed, and the sense of mystery makes you want to keep reading. The ending leaves lots of loose ends for a sequel to take up.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up somewhat half-heartedly sincemy son needed to write a book report about it and I thought I should have a basic idea of what the book was about. But instead of skimming, I found myself totally drawn in and read the entire book, word-for-word, in a day. Lupica has found a great character in Zach Harriman. Zach is the only son of a famous family. His father is a special advisor to the president. His mother is the daughter of another famous political family. The story starts with the father's POV as he's about to capture a Serbian war criminal. We realize the father has some sort of superpowers that allow him to dodge bullets, take on multitides of bad guys, and leap very, very high. But something goes wrong on the flight home; his plane crashes and he is killed. Now Zach must deal not only with the loss of his father but the fact that suddenly strange things are happening to him. He seems to be developing superpowers. And just in time, too, since bad things start to happen. Then there's the weird old guy who keeps showing up trying to train his powers and his Uncle John who knows about the powers and keeps telling him he's not ready to use them. One or both of them seem to be lying. Fortunately Zach has his best friend, Kate, to help him sort it out. There's lots of action and more than a little introspection as Zach deals with his grief. This is obviously the first in a series, and I'll be looking forward to the next one. Highly recommended for tweens.

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would give this book zero stars if Goodreads would let me.

This is Mr. Lupica's first book that does not have a sports-related storyline. I'd forgive you if you had a hard time figuring that out, because the book is littered with superfluous references to sports which contribute little, if anything, to the value of the book.

What I felt to be the most compelling storyline was actually a sub-plot involving a bully at school. This plot seems to reach a peak in the middle of the book and then, inexplicably, this storyline is never mentioned again for the remainder of the book. No resolution, no anything. It just stops.

The main storyline involves a young boy whose father dies early in the book. The young boy becomes involved in his father's struggle against forces of evil only know as "the Bads." I can't think of a lazier name for an enemy; I think it would even be less distracting to go by the generic "bad guys." Of course, the main character discovers he has superpowers (how else is a teen going to take on evil by himself?). The climax of the book is short and underwhelming and features even less action than some of the other scenes in the book.

If your young male reader comes to you wanting to read this book, I would wager that 99% of the media specialists, librarians, or booksellers you encounter could recommend a much, much better book right off the top of their head. Save your money on this poorly written title.

[Ivan Sanchez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feb 05, 2014Blake added it



“Hero” by Mike Lupica is a fictional chapter book. It begins with a secret agent, Tom Harriman, who is the President’s secret assistant. He obtained his job as an assistant because he has special powers, like a sixth sense. He is sent out on a mission to find a bad guy named The Rat. He finds him and takes him to a getaway plane, after he figures out he is being followed. From that point on, the reader only knows that the plane had crashed and Tom has passed away. He left behind his wife and fourteen year old son, Zach. Zach is an average freshman boy and is nothing better, as far as he knows. When he hears his dad has died, it hits him hard. Life after that for Zach would be forever changed. Then he starts to have changes to his personal appearance and also his mind. He started to get very strong and also gained an interest in solving problems. Not too long after all the changes began, the President and others show up to his house to see him. They do tests and studies on him to see if he has powers like his dad. It turns out he has the same capabilities as his father. They decide they want him to help out and catch bad guys and live in the footsteps of his father. He accepts the job and goes straight into training. He accepts some jobs and starts to get the hang of things. He is a great hero for the nation, and his father by stepping up and taking on the harder tasks.

[KayLee J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished Hero by Mike Lupcia. It starts off with Zach a typical boy with a not so typical dad. But after his dad dies in a plane crash, his life changes forever. Past the first few chapters in the book my head was already spinning. With plenty different events and characters coming in questions began to form. My first one was: which characters are going to really tie in the story? And what happens that changes him in the next couple chapters? When going out to the crash sight Zach gets no new leads except a mysterious old man showing him the power he has,but then disappearing. More questions flooded my mind who was the old man? What powers does he actually have? And of course, What happens next? After two ribs breaking,being attacked,and trying to defeat the attackers Zach was ready to answer that question too. A connection a thought of was Zach was being pulled into two different sides and didn't know who to trust. It's almost like if you are trying to buy a car or anything else you may want you need to know which dealer to buy from and who to give your trust too. The author really did a great job describing everything in the book like the characters and their emotions. This book is filled with twists and turns and is also has plenty of action. I definitely give this book five stars with every word it is a Good Read!

[Jonathan.f · Rating 2 out of 5]

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars, because I didn’t understand it and it was confusing. I also didn’t like it, because it was more of a fantasy book.

My first reason, why I didn’t like is because It wasn’t what I expected. Mike Lupia usually writes sports books and this one were completely off topic, about superpowers. My first quote was on page 121. Mr. Hebert said, “Don’t be afraid boy, you have magic too,” this quote was from when Zach figured out he had superpowers. I found this confusing because it was random. My second quote was on page 124. Kate said, “You cannot explain how you made it all the way to the Hamptons and back by now.” This quote was related to the superhero stuff and I didn’t enjoy it.

My second reason, why I didn’t understand it, because it was confusing. The plot was really confusing because it went from talking about sports, to superhero powers and I felt that it was overwhelming. I also was confused, because when Zach’s dad died, they didn’t explain it well enough. I would really like to know more about how he died. I was also confused, because I didn’t know how Zach got his superpowers. On page 118, Mr. Hebert said, “I was the one who first told your father he had the magic in him.” I didn’t understand chapter 14, because I didn’t understand the point. This is why I don’t recommend it and why I gave it 3 out of 5 stars