Donut the Destroyer

In a world in which everyone has a special power and must choose to walk the path of a villain or a hero, Donut’s choice seems set in stone: her parents are infamous, and her family boasts a full-blown legacy as evil-doers. But super-strong Donut (“Middle name: the,/ Last name: Destroyer”) has one goal in mind: to become a hero. Excited for her first day at the Lionheart School for Heroes, Donut is determined to immerse herself in training and become a super prefect. Her well-meaning parents prove skeptical but supportive (“We agreed we’d let Donut get this out of her system”), but longtime best friend Ivy, feeling abandoned and wanting Donut for her own chaotic plans, schemes to get her kicked out of hero school. Along with a chunky drawing style and pink-tinged palette, Purenins (Our Super Adventure) and Graley (Glitch) place their mutual penchant for antics (demonic rituals in the home) and absurd banter (“The living room has far superior energy than the basement... for wrangling up the undead”) on full display. And their underlying message—the importance of forging one’s own path, for better or for worse—is a heartwarming one. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8–12. Agent (for author and illustrator): Steven Salpeter, Curtis Brown. [em](June) [/em]