"An endearing story of identity and cultural pride." — Kirkus Reviews POW! BANG! WHAM! Victor, a superhero-obsessed teen, might work for Portland’s newest vigilante. As he grapples with bullying and isolation, a social studies project becomes Victor’s path to self-discovery, acceptance, and pride in his Filipino heritage. Between a tsinelas-wielding superhero, a major social studies project, and take-out boxes of adobo and lumpia, seventeen-year-old Filipino American Victor Dela Cruz isn’t sure how to get through high school without the help of a radioactive spider. Despite his attempts to assimilate into his mostly white Portland high school, Victor has always felt like an outsider. He likes to think high school is his superhero origin story, and all he needs now are some superpowers. His very own supervillain, Clint Robertson, Cleveland High’s golden boy, and a major project about his ancestry make Victor wish he had the power of invisibility. But when he witnesses his boss at the food truck slinging his trusty tsinelas to stop a thief in his tracks, Victor sees his chance to find the acceptance he’s always craved. He believes he's found a hometown superhero, and he plans to convince his peers that the owner of Filipino Feast is secretly an undercover vigilante. From the author of Love, Dance & Egg Rolls , Jason Tanamor's poignant narrative is a testament to resilience, reminding us that true strength and pride are found in embracing the rich tapestry of our own identities. "A high school senior in Portland, Oregon, tries to prove that his new boss is a superhero in order to gain popularity at school. Victor Dela Cruz is a self-proclaimed nerd whose life revolves around superheroes. Bullied by the members of the football team, Victor is ashamed of being Filipino American, believing that brown skin is his kryptonite in his primarily white environment. He's avoided focusing on his culture, so he doesn't know where to begin with a family heritage project for school. That's when Victor's boss at the Filipino food truck where he works, a man he calls Sir, demonstrates an impressive feat of heroism in protecting a woman from an armed mugger using only his tsinelas, or slippers. This leads Victor to believe Sir is "the people's vigilante" who's responsible for fighting crime around the city. Victor's grandmother and sister encourage him to write about his deceased parents for his assignment, but he's determined to prove that Sir is an actual superhero and win his peers' vote for the best project. Victor goes through a moving journey of self-discovery, learning to accept his true self and take pride in his Filipino heritage. Tanamor thoughtfully touches on assimilation, loss, grief, and feelings of being an outsider. Victor often imagines himself or others as having superpowers and altering the outcomes of various encounters. Detailed descriptions make this is a true ode to Portland and Filipino cuisine and culture. An endearing story of identity and cultural pride. (Fiction. 12-18)" - Kirkus Reviews Jason Tanamor is a Filipino American writer and author. Named as one of the "5 Best Modern Filipino Writers'' by Pinas Global Newspaper and listed as one of Positively Filipino 's "Fil-Ams Among the Remarkable and Famous," Tanamor is the acclaimed author of the Filipino-themed novels Vampires of Portlandia , Love, Dance & Egg Rolls , and The Legend of Sensei Tsinelas . He was nominated for the 2024 UCLA Allegra Johnson Writing Prize and the 2024 UCLA James Kirkwood Prize, and he has been featured in several Filipino publications like Esquire Philippines , CNN Philippines, Philippine Daily Inquirer , and Asian Journal . Tanamor currently lives and works in Illinois.