Is Toni Really A Superhero?

[Okafor Prosper]

I don't think he's an actual superhero as he doesn't have any superpowers but he seems to think he is one. Overall, the message to kids is good which kind of makes him a superhero in my eyes.

[crediblereading2]

I believe that the author just wants to motivate children to think and act like superheroes.

[Ksharmilla]

Perhaps in his imagination he was a superhero. Maybe he really is. Superheroes don't always have traditional superpowers like Superman.

[Brittany J]

I think, and hope, that Toni is actually a superhero that does ordinary things too so that the child reading the story will see that someone they may admire does ordinary things too. I think this is used to inspire a kid to make good choices. I don't think telling all kids they are or can be actual superheroes is a good idea. It reduces the specialness of what a superhero is supposed to be. Maybe in future books of this series, some superpowers will appear alongside the ordinary.

[Jgideon]

I thought the premise of the book was that Toni was an actual superhero, but that he still did ordinary chores and activities like other kids. It seemed like the whole point was to show kids that even superheroes have the same responsibilities as everyone else.

I agree with you that the author wants kids to know that superheroes also do simple things just like the other people.

[Eileen R]

This is the one confusing point about the book for me. Its not really clear if he is a superhero or just a very imaginative kid. Either way it kept my interest in the book alive.

[Dahmy 10]

To the child that this book is intended for Toni is a true superhero. We need to see this through the eyes of the child so as to effectively pass across the message the author intends.

[platinumreads]

It shouldn't matter, should it? I find that it makes books more intriguing to leave things open to interpretation.

[liftedbooks]

Perhaps we will learn what Toni's superhero powers are in the books to come (this is supposedly only the first one). For now, he is just a not-so-ordinary superhero doing ordinary things.

[Harzelryan]

Of course he was a superhero but he did activities that other children did unlike most superheroes.

[lesler]

You hit the nail on the head about that he is not actually a superhero, but feels like a superhero by his everyday good actions. This is a book meant for the emergent readers to be encouraged to make good choices all the time.

[sheeps44]

Superheroes are defined by having enhanced or supernatural abilities and only use them for the betterment of other people if Toni sole superpower is good choice making and he uses it to help others then hes a superhero.

[Gikonyo Caroline]

If I take the angle that the author seeks to redefine who a superhero is and deviate from the normal definition which is a character with supernatural abilities doing superhuman acts, I would say Toni is a superhero. By this I mean that superheroes are just like you and I, they are human and heroism is then redefined as embracing your individuality in terms what you like to do even if it is perceived as ordinary by society and doing ordinary activities is heroic. Afterall our heroes in our usual perceptions are a reflection of us, reminding us that with the right circumstances and resources we can be them hence fulfilling our desire to be associated with greatness. There is a quote I love which says " In life we don't discover who our heroes are , we discover the hero in us."

[kandscreeley]

I think it's exactly what you said. He's a superhero in his own world and in his parents' eyes because he does what he is supposed to do. Superheroes don't always have superpowers. Some superheroes in real life are ordinary people that do extraordinary things.

[CinWin]

Toni was definitely a Superhero! Any child that is that kind and helps others that much is a superhero in my mind.