DC Comics and Scholastic join forces to bring you Batgirl: New Hero of the Night. This 2017 offering is the latest in the two publisher's Backstories series. This junior novel by Matthew K. Manning (The Batman Files) really surprised me pleasantly.
Being a chapter book for readers grades 2-5, I was afraid that New Hero of the Night would be some very hokey story that puts Batgirl in some more age appropriate challenges. Stories like 'Oh No! Somebody stole my cell phone!' or 'Gee, How can I balance being a student while also being Batgirl?' Instead, this book dives into the very troubled and dangerous career of Batgirl.
In her about 50-year history in the DC Universe, Batgirl has been shot by the Joker, paralyzed, and fought her way back into fighting shape. She's even had to deal with her share of homicidal maniacs such as her own baby brother. While not being gruesome, this book has done a very good job at chronicling Barbara Gordon's life as a superhero with sugarcoating. It's as if R.L. Stine wrote a biography of Batgirl with only putting about 75% of his signature chill factor into it.
New Hero of the Night is like a scrap book of Batgirl's career. Along with providing highlights of her exploits, there are timelines, in-depth looks at allies and enemies, and other fun stuff. There's even some very cool educational segments that blends in vocabulary words with the legends of the DCU. Mind you, this is more of the New 52! DC Universe (which has recently been replaced or updated with DC's Rebirth storyline) but it's still educational and fun to read.
I also really enjoyed the artwork by Sonic Sega Series' Patrick Spaziante. His penciled sketchbook style looks like a police artist from the Gotham City PD drew up a file on Batgirl for Commissioner Gordon's eyes only. I just hate that several of these pictures are recycled throughout the book. Spaziante's work is so good, I felt cheated out of completely new and different art on every page.
An enjoyable quick read. There's several more books in the Backstories line-up including volumes on Batman, Harley Quinn, and my favorite- Supergirl. At $5.99 each, they're a very good price for over 120 pages of superhero excitement. Make these awesome books a part of your child's library today!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8.5 out of 10 stars.
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