Donut the Destroyer

Gr 3-6–Donut shocks her friends and family when she chooses to use her super strength for good, not evil. Her family has proudly stuck to the path of villainy (except for Uncle Eric, who opted to become an accountant). But in this world, everyone has the right to decide between a life of good and evil, so rebellious Donut enrolls in Lionheart School for Heroes. Her reputation makes her an outcast at first, but she soon realizes that fighting for good is what she wants. Though she’s torn between her own desires and her family’s expectations, Donut proves that she can stand tall as the hero she wants to become. The sharpest emotional hooks of the story involve Donut’s toxic friendship with villain Ivy and her new Lionheart friends, who struggle with feelings of inferiority. While sympathetic, characters are fairly one-dimensional, though everyone grows a little by the story’s end. Bright colors, eye-catching highlights, and broad facial expressions make for clear emotional cues, and scenes of fantasy slapstick add appropriate dashes of action.