Willow Wilson, G. (2014). Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal. NY: Marvel Press.
Kamala Khan, a Muslim girl growing up in Jersey City, is obsessed with the Avengers. Being a Muslim in America is already hard, but especially when she doesn’t feel like she fits in within her own culture. She just wants to be like everyone else her age. After a night out without her parent’s permission, and a strange mist, life drastically changes when she wakes up to discover she has super powers.
Learning to control her new powers, Kamala must also get through her everyday life at home and school. When her friend Bruno’s brother gets caught up with someone called “The Inventor” and then goes missing, Kamala knows it is up to her to find him. Using her new powers, she is determined to save the day and possibly the world.
This non-traditional Marvel comic book series highlights diverse and contemporary characters which makes it easily fit into the Young Adult Literature category. In keeping with Havighurst’s Theory of Developmental Tasks, Kamala’s changing relationship with her parents as she seeks emotional independence, her development of morals and values, and accepting her physical changes (her superpowers) all make this book a great choice. Rather than a traditional villain, Wilson chooses Zoe, a popular girl at school that picks on Kamala. I think using bullying was a good alternative in this story. With everything going on in the world right now, showing the struggles someone faces will build empathy. This contemporary issue will be highly relatable to all readers, but I think it would fit best with upper middle school.
**YALSA Required List – 2015 Great Graphic Novels for Teens (Top Ten Pick)
For more information:
http://gwillowwilson.com/ (Author’s Webpage)
Book Trailer:
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