High school basketball star Thom Creed’s father is a disgraced, washed-up superhero. Thom’s father is a bitter, emotionally distant man who has made it clear that he has no time for either superheroes or “fruits.” So Thom feels it necessary to hide two profound aspects of who he is. He knows he is gay and he also knows that he has a superpower of his own: he can heal living things just by touching them. When Thom’s talent comes to the attention of a superhero organization known as the League, he’s invited to audition for membership. He’s placed on a team of hopefuls that must compete against other teams of prospective Legaue members. Disagreements and clashing personalities among members of Thom’s team are challenging enough. To make things even more complicated, Thom has had a long-standing crush on a League superhero named Uberman, and his attempts to impress him always seem to fall short. In his non-superhero life, Thom is attracted to a boy on a rival basketball team whom he meets for early morning workout sessions. Their encounters are intense and electric and Thom feels a definite attraction, but is it mutual? When Thom is forced to out himself to his father and to the League, he is immediately terminated from the probationary team. But the adventure doesn’t end there. It turns out that a tremendous threat against humanity is being mounted from within the League, and Thom joins forces with his former teammates, his father, and one very mysterious superhero to save the day. Hero is a funny, entertaining, action-packed story about a gay teen’s search for his place in the world, and for people he can trust and love, whether they have superpowers or not. (Age 12 and older)

Even though Thom Creed's a basketball star, his high school classmates keep their distance. They've picked up on something different about Thom. Plus, his father, Hal Creed, was one of the greatest and most beloved superheroes of his time until a catastrophic event left him disfigured and an outcast. The last thing in the world Thom wants is to add to his father's pain, so he keeps secrets. Like that he has special powers. And he's been asked to join the League -- the very organization of superheroes that disowned Hal. But joining the League opens up a new world to Thom. There, he connects with a misfit group of aspiring heroes:
* Scarlett, who can control fire but not her anger
* Typhoid Larry, who can make anyone sick with his touch
* Ruth, a wise old woman who can see the future
Together these unlikely heroes become friends and begin to uncover a plot to kill the superheroes.

This groundbreaking and widely acclaimed novel tells an unforgettable story about love, loss, and redemption.