Chapter 1 is an overview of the teen hero genre and the kind of styles of play that can result. Instead of starting off with a history lesson of the genre, like many other M&M books, Hero High stands apart in that it kicks off with interviews with several comic creators, including Tom Brevoort, Paul Jenkins, Robert Kirkman, and Stan Lee, among others. It's a nice touch, and very enlightening at times. It then seques into a brief discussion on the various styles of campaigns that can be played with teen heroes, including a short look at teen heroes through the various ages of comics. A Golden Age game starring teen sidekicks is going to be rather different than one set during the Grim 'n' Gritty era, after all.
Chapter 2 is all about the basics of making teen heroes as opposed to adult heroes. Modifiers for skills and abilities are suggested (as kids generally grow into their powers more than adult heroes), and several new teen-appropriate feats and drawbacks are presented. The chapter concludes with several PL8 archetypes. While the archetypes are good, many are clearly pastiches of famous characters, and no notes for customization or modification are given. For example, one of the archetypes is The Kid & Mystic Ally, which you can guess is comparable to DC's Jakeem Thunder. While the default Ally is clearly magic, some notes on converting the ally to something else appropriate to the genre, like a robot or a giant monster, would've made the archetypes more useful. Overall, though, they provide solid templates for inspiration.
