X-Men: First Class - ISBNLookup.com

Children's Literature - Kathie M. Josephs

This is an up-to-date version of the original comic book called X-Men Team. The story is about a group of teenagers who live at a boarding school. The original characters remain the same: Iceman, Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Beast, and Angel (some have different names but the characters are the same). These teens show the same frustrations that teens feel today. Problems of puberty, no fun, too much school work, and even "puppy love." For many thousands of years, teens have had to fight battles. Our teens today make tough choices when it comes to drugs and sex, and the peer pressures are never ending. The teens in the book battle demons, weird computers, aliens, and other evil mutants. The teens have to learn to live together in a boarding school. They also try to understand why Warren acts like he does. When Warren ditches class and flies in the sky, the Professor takes form in the clouds and tells him a story from the past to help him understand what he is feeling now. The Professor helps him understand that many before him have felt what he is feeling—that feeling of being a caged bird. The Professor instills the thought that even though all mutants are not role models, these five are special and everyone is judged by their actions and deeds. The illustrations are fantastic and add much to the story. I was pleasantly surprised to see that life lessons are learned. During a challenge to save Professor X, the team ultimately learns some excellent lessons such as family values and the power that they have as teenagers. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs