Read the novel excerpt. Superhero 101: A Family Secret

Trace knew he would have to try to explain to his grandmother why he had missed her birthday party. He was dreading the conversation and the lie that he would inevitably have to tell. He thought telling her the truth would only open a Pandora’s box. He rang the doorbell, and his grandmother answered right away, like she had been waiting for him. He had called and told her he would try to come by sometime that day, but he had not given her a precise time.

She greeted him warmly, and he followed her into the kitchen where she had her customary jar of fresh-baked cookies ready for his indulgence. His grandmother was endearingly predictable. She had a daily routine and rarely deviated from it. Trace thought that given her lifestyle and penchant for routine and order, there was no way she would ever understand his life as Beetleman. He hated that he had no choice but to lie to his grandmother, whom he loved so much.

They sat at the kitchen table. His grandmother poured him an ice-cold glass of milk and filled a plate with her delicious chocolate chip cookies. Before he had a chance to apologize, his grandmother spoke. “Trace, I’m glad you called and came by today. I know you’re upset about missing my birthday party, but before you say anything about it, there is something I want to show you,” she said.

She went to a drawer and retrieved what appeared to be a large bracelet cuff made of silver. She handed it to Trace. He looked at it carefully. His grandmother moved his hands and pointed to something inscribed on the inside of the bracelet. “Look at this. It's what I wanted you to see,” she said as Trace read the words “Family First.” His heart sank when he read those words and recounted all the times that he had to sacrifice time with his family for his secret life.

His grandmother noticed his dejected expression. “Trace, I didn’t show you this to make you feel bad about your choices. I know that they aren’t always yours to make. This cuff belonged to your grandfather. He had those words inscribed because they are what kept him going and allowed him to make those same tough choices.”

Trace stared at this grandmother. What was she saying? His grandfather was a superhero too?

She continued, “Your grandfather loved helping people, just like you do. That’s where you got your gift—from him. Many times he had to miss family parties and outings because of his calling. But I always knew he did it for us—family first.”

Trace was astounded. He’d had no idea that his grandfather was a superhero; now he realized that he no longer had to lie to his grandmother. His parents had died when he was very young, and his grandparents had raised him. He recalled his grandfather missing his 10th birthday party and how upset and angry he had been at his grandfather. He had cried himself to sleep that night, wrongly thinking that he was not important to his grandfather.

Trace looked at the bracelet carefully, realizing that to him, it was as precious as the Hope diamond. He glanced up at his grandmother.

“His love for his family was his kryptonite,” his grandmother continued. “The only time he was weak was when you or I were in danger. He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to us after what happened to your parents.”