For the last couple of years, the Superhero Girls have been hanging at Superhero High. No one had to hide their identities or the fact they were hero-ing in their spare time. Crime fighting was an excused absence and the curriculum was decidedly super-centric. Growing up comes with new challenges, though, and with new costumes, new hairstyles, new attitudes, and a new school come great… um… risks of detentions apparentlys since our kick-butt role models are so busy with their extracurricular evildoer stopping that they keep missing first bell.

So it goes in DC Superhero Girls: At Metropolis High by Amy Wolfram and Yancey Labat. Kara (Supergirl), Jessica (Green Lantern), Diana (Wonder Woman), Karen (Bumble Bee), Zee (Zatana), and Barbara (Batgirl) are a great crime-fighting team and the best of friends because they all have different strengths and interests, but what happens when the consequence of their tardiness is for each of them to find an afterschool club to join and report on – alone?

Finding your place in the world is hard enough when you’re like everyone else; if you’re different, and even if those differences are invisible to the naked eye – whether it’s a secret identity or neurodivergence or depression – it’s a million times more difficult. Unfortunately, not everyone is understanding or kind about things they can’t see or understand. That doesn’t mean, however, that you don’t have a place or that you won’t find friends who get you or that you won’t find something you love to call your own.

Maybe Kara Danvers isn’t cut out for track. But when Metropolis is in danger, there’s no one better to have around. And whether she’s winning medals or not, her girls will always have her back.

Out October 15 from DC Kids, DC Superhero Girls: At Metropolis High is a great middle grade read to remind kids that even if it takes some time, they’ll find their people – and a space – who not only allow but also encourage them to be themselves.