ALA Booklist (Sat Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Piper and Sloane both want to be superheroes, and both have superhero skills that will get them there. Together, superstrong Piper and supersmart Sloane could be magic, but they aren't friends and don't plan on it, until a piece of technology brings them together terally! en they accidentally swap bodies. As they desperately try to switch back, they also try to keep Sloane's evil grandfather far away from the device. Meanwhile, they face some classic middle-grade struggles: they're trying to win Bruce Wayne's school challenge (the prize is a trip to Antarctica!); Piper wants to see her missing parents; and Sloane wants to work around real scientists. Will they be able to keep everything straight so that justice can be done and one of them can win the prize? The artwork is cute, colorful, and very well detailed. The panels are easy to follow and will draw readers into the quick and quirky story. A great read for those who are ready for some new superheroes in the DCU.

Kirkus Reviews

Setting their debut superhero graphic-novel series for kids in the suburbs of East Gotham, Quinn, Lunetta, and Gil introduce readers to an unlikely DC Comics duo.Sloane MacBrute and Piper Pájaro are both 13 but are otherwise very different from each other. Piper is Latinx, the brown-skinned daughter of scientists working in Antarctica; she lives with Abuela and Uncle John, a police officer. She also has superstrength and can lift a small car. Sloane is white and happens to be the granddaughter of the Bear, the notorious goon; she is also a robotics genius. When her recently laid-off mother's health declines, Bear dispatches Sloane, as her supervillain alter ego, Gray, to steal a device from a research facility. Piper, who moonlights as the superhero Hummingbird, learns about a threat to the device her parents created, so she shows up to protect it. The late-night mission goes awry, and the device somehow causes both girls to switch bodies, forcing them to work together to switch them back and thwart the Bear. Co-authors Lunetta and Quinn's quick dialogue, narration, and pacing are successful, and from Abuela, readers hear Spanish peppered throughout the story. Gil's illustrations are dynamic, filling spreads with noir-toned purple and dark-blue hues. Panels cut from aerial views and zoom into the fast-paced action, building momentum.With a cameo from Batman himself, this origin story presents an entertaining new team of supers. (Graphic adventure. 8-12)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Two dissimilar super 13-year-olds swap bodies in this introduction to a new East Gotham crime-fighting duo: the Hummingbird and the Gray Owl. Black-clad and pale-haired, loner Sloan MacBrute-known as Gray in the underworld-is the hyperintelligent granddaughter of the villainous Scotsman Bear, often working small jobs for him to help her mother make ends meet. Superstrong Piper Pájaro, of Latinx heritage, lives with her abuela and police officer uncle, and hopes that her superhero alter ego-the Hummingbird-will draw her absent scientist parents- interest. When each girl sets her sights on nabbing an abandoned medical invention engineered by Piper-s parents, a body switch reveals its dangerous power. As they work to repair the broken device and keep it from falling into ill-intentioned hands, the girls- forced alliance helps each develop an appreciation for the other-s unique skills and motivations; Sloan worries about her ill mother and her family-s damaging legacy, while Piper-s feelings of abandonment result in rash actions. Gil-s expressive characterization and thoughtful use of color create a distinctly cinematic feel, akin to that of an animated series. For these appealingly rendered opposites, empathy and understanding inspires unexpected friendship and unstoppable heroism. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)-

School Library Journal (Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 CST 2020)

Gr 3-6 Two polar-opposite, superpowered 13-year-old girls get in each other's way as they attempt to complete a mission. Popular Piper Pájaro is determined to protect her city as the superhero the Hummingbird, but her lack of control over her super strength has law enforcement dubbing her the Wrecking Ball. Intelligent thief Sloane MacBrute is the essence of suave thanks to her tech gadgetry and stealth. But unlike outgoing Piper, Sloane is a loner, forced into an isolating life of crime in order to take care of her mom. When Sloane's crime lord grandfather demands she steal a mysterious invention for him, Piper's and Sloane's paths collide and they accidentally activate the invention: a body-switching device. Trapped in each other's bodies, the two girls must work together to thwart the senior MacBrute's evil plans. Although the plot is predictable at times, this is a quick, funny read with an empowering message about learning to understand others. At times, the authors use well-worn tropes (Piper's missing parents; Sloane's sick mother) to advance the narrative; at others, they subvert expectations (often kids with troubled family lives are depicted as academic underperformers, but here it's Piper who struggles and Sloane who excels). Gil's vibrant art brings the story to life through contrasting color schemes, skillfully drawn action sequences, and lively facial expressions. VERDICT Fans of the DC Super Hero Girls TV series will find Piper and Sloane a winning duo. Lara Goldstein, Forsyth County Public Libraries, NC