Is Toni Really A Superhero?

[Manang Muyang]

Conversely, they may be an argument that a child could say ”I’m not a superhero, so I’m not doing the chores”. We could potentially be hoist by our own psychology.

Yes, that too. With how kids think these days ...

[readandsmile]

I agree, I think he's just a kid. But a superhero in the way that he's a very good kid. I'm sure he's a superhero to his family. He reminded me of kids who like to play dress up and pretend. I thought it was very cute.

I agree! Me too, I remember my little cousins and nephews pretending to be a superhero with their peers.

[Kibet Hillary]

I think what matters most is the compliments he receives from his parents given that they are the ones who spend much time with Toni. Toni is a superhero in his own world. It is good that the author is trying to bring a new meaning and definition of a superhero. Most of the people expect a superhero to be someone in a jumpsuit hence it is commendable that the author moves away from this tradition that is propagated in most children films.

[Swiftmover07]

I think children would believe he is a superhero.

[prinjeh18]

I got your point. Hmmm, I also thought that way. A boy who is an avid fun of a superhero characters.

[Helen_Combe]

It’s a bit if an extension of ’charity begins at home’. How you behave defines you, not what you are capable of doing when in the spotlight.

[LV2R]

I thought the same thing (Is Toni really a superhero?) because he didn't fly or do anything extraordinary in the book. It makes me think, he either pretends he is a superhero or he will do something extraordinary in another book. I would have liked to see him use his superhero powers in this book.

[krnchun808]

I think to us Toni looks like a kid who likes to dress up as a superhero and pretend. I think to Toni he is a superhero and he is just going about his life. Young children don't know the difference between pretend and real. So Toni lives in both worlds comfortably. It was perceptive for the author to understand the thinking of this age child.

[prinjeh18]

Maybe, Toni is thinking that he is a superhero by just wearing a superhero costume. Kids love to do it that way. Superhero is just like an inspiration to them.

[Jillpillbooknerd]

Maybe in his own imagination, he was a superhero. I was just assuming that he was playing make believe the whole time.

[Storm+]

I'm sure the clarification of whether or not Toni is a literal superhero will occur in later books, but I believe that his introductory story was likely meant to show the ways in which he is ordinary rather than the ways in which he is extraordinary. Children tend to gravitate toward the heroes that are the most like him, and portraying Toni as a normal kid makes him more relatable. It's frustrating not to know if he is a "superhero" because he has actual "superpowers" or simply because he's good, but I doubt the target audience (young children) notice or care that he doesn't have very many "superhero" qualities in the first book. Those qualities might appear in a later book, and, to at least some children, the timing of the introduction of the superpowers is a lot less important than it is to us.

[PABS]

I personally hope that he won't have superpowers in the future. It might make him too different from his readers. What is important is that he does the right thing, which (as readers will find out when they're older) sometimes takes seemingly superhuman effort.

[Helen_Combe]

I personally hope that he won't have superpowers in the future. It might make him too different from his readers. What is important is that he does the right thing, which (as readers will find out when they're older) sometimes takes seemingly superhuman effort.

I feel the same way. I liked it that he was such a lovable little boy, I didn’t want him getting into danger or doing crazy things.

[prinjeh18]

I personally hope that he won't have superpowers in the future. It might make him too different from his readers. What is important is that he does the right thing, which (as readers will find out when they're older) sometimes takes seemingly superhuman effort.

Awesome,

[julessawyer]

I tend to agree with you. For one, he doesn't wear his underwear outside. LOL.

This was a sharp and funny observation!