RAVES for

THE SIDEKICK SQUAD SERIES

“‘The Best Superheroes Right Now Aren’t on Screens. They’re in Books’… Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee is a coming-of-age tale about Jessica Tran, the powerless daughter of two superheroes who gets a job at a tech company—and discovers that the world of heroes and villains is more complicated than she realized.”

—WIRED

Lambda Literary Award Finalist for LGBTQ Children's/Young Adult | “Not Your Sidekick is an exciting story full of twists and heart.”

—Lambda Literary

“Lee offers up a fast-paced, engaging tale set in a quasi-dystopian 22nd-century America where the line between hero and villain is often blurred. With a diverse cast of characters, both in terms of sexuality and ethnic background, and a wholly adorable romance for Jess, it’s a lively exploration of morality in a superpowered age.”

—Publishers Weekly on Not Your Sidekick

“Lee crams a lot of themes into a small package here, including LGBTQ relationships, a dystopian society, realizing your heroes have flaws, the importance of family and more… Jess and Abby are delightful characters and superhero fans like this reviewer will especially enjoy Lee’s take on how superpowers work. I’m ready for the sequel!”

—RT Book Reviews on Not Your Sidekick

“This is a light romp of a middle grade adventure/romance, but the real strength is in its matter-of-fact representation of LGBTQ and first-generation American identities. While the meanings of these identities are explored, they are not the focus of the book and are simply part of the character- and world-building. Coming out has already happened, friendships based on immigrant identity are complicated, and there are many primary and secondary characters who fall into these categories so that no single character has to stand for everyone.”

—School Library Journal on Not Your Sidekick

“Not Your Sidekick is a much-needed contribution for those of us who for whatever reason just don’t tend to read comics very often and want superhero stories anyway… the whole thing shines with authenticity and verisimilitude… It’s that kind of SFF so many people crave, where these marginalized kids get to battle evil forces and root out conspiracies as if–gasp–kids from marginalized cultures or sexualities have other enemies besides racism and queerphobia.”

—Shira Glassman for The Lesbrary

2019 American Library Association GLBT Rainbow Book List | Not Your Villain

“The Sidekick Squad are back and better than ever in Not Your Villain.”

—Hypable

“Not Your Villain shows just how meaningful superheroes (and supervillains) can still be. C.B. Lee has invented a world where the greatest power comes from friendship, love and becoming your truest self, and it's the heroic story we need right now.”

—Charlie Jane Anders, author of All the Birds in the Sky

“A heartwarming bunch of friends, a fast-paced plot, this is the kind of book you open to page 1 and come up for air only when you’ve reached the end.”

— 8Asians.com on Not Your Villain

“C.B. Lee’s utterly charming Sidekick Squad series has it all—swoony romance, thought-provoking deconstructions of superhero tropes, and the cutest robots ever. But best of all are her very human, very relatable characters—vibrant personalities you just can’t help but root for as they make their way in the world. If you’re a fan of superheroes, thoughtful sci-fi, and/or general awesomeness, you need these books in your life.”

—Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex

“I’m looking forward to spending more time with this incredibly engaging group of characters. The books are fast-moving, with fun action scenes and clever uses of superpowers.”

—Smart Bitches, Classy Books on the Sidekick Squad series