Home Games

Markovits, Benjamin. Home Games
February 4th 2020 by HarperCollins
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Ben doesn't have a lot of friends in New York City, but he does hang out with a neighbor, Jake, who goes to the same expensive private school that he does. Ben's parents are on edge, and his father is frequently traveling. When his father gets a position in London, his mother decides not to join him because she and Ben want to stay in the city. However, she decides to spend the summer in Texas with her mother, which confuses Ben. It's even harder to make friends in this new environment, especially when school starts and his mother gets a job teaching in his school. He does befriend Mabley, who is friendly to everyone, but often chooses to eat his lunch at odd places on the school grounds. His mother starts dating his social studies teacher, and he rarely gets to visit his father. Ben joins the basketball team as a manager, and when one of the other players is injured, gets to dub in during a game. Even though he does get to see his father, it is clear that his mother has made a new life in Texas, and Ben tries his best to create one for himself as well.
Strengths: I am always looking for realistic fiction that has some sports component to it, and it's refreshing that Ben moves to a new city and his house isn't haunted! The struggles he has fitting in to a new environment are realistic, and it was interesting to see his mother working at the same school. Mobley and the other students are nice enough, and when Ben makes an effort, he does manage to make some friends.
Weaknesses: This was slow paced and lacked an interesting plot line.
What I really think: The cover and description made this seem so appealing, but I had trouble getting into the book. This author has done a variety of fiction for adults, and perhaps struggled to understand what appeals to middle grade audiences. I won't be buying this for my library, but take a look at it for yourself before deciding if the title is right for you.