Read the novel excerpt. superhero 101: a family secret trace knew he would have to try to explain to his grandmother why he had missed her birthday party. he was dreading the conversation and the lie that he would inevitably have to tell. he thought telling her the truth would only open a pandora’s box. he rang the doorbell, and his grandmother answered right away, like she had been waiting for him. he had called and told her he would try to come by sometime that day, but he had not given her a precise time. she greeted him warmly, and he followed her into the kitchen where she had her customary jar of fresh-baked cookies ready for his indulgence. his grandmother was endearingly predictable. she had a daily routine and rarely deviated from it. trace thought that given her lifestyle and penchant for routine and order, there was no way she would ever understand his life as beetleman. he hated that he had no choice but to lie to his grandmother, whom he loved so much. they sat at the kitchen table. his grandmother poured him an ice-cold glass of milk and filled a plate with her delicious chocolate chip cookies. before he had a chance to apologize, his grandmother spoke. "trace, i’m glad you called and came by today. i know you’re upset about missing my birthday party, but before you say anything about it, there is something i want to show you," she said. she went to a drawer and retrieved what appeared to be a large bracelet cuff made of silver. she handed it to trace. he looked at it carefully. his grandmother moved his hands and pointed to something inscribed on the inside of the bracelet. "look at this. it's what i wanted you to see," she said as trace read the words "family first." his heart sank when he read those words and recounted all the times that he had to sacrifice time with his family for his secret life. his grandmother noticed his dejected expression. "trace, i didn’t show you this to make you feel bad about your choices. i know that they aren’t always yours to make. this cuff belonged to your g