Whiz Kid (Miles Lewis #2)

Lyons, Kelly Starling. Whiz Kid (Miles Lewis  #2)

July 19th 2022 by Penguin Workshop

E ARC provided  by Edelweiss Plus

Miles really wants to do well at the  upcoming science fair, and is really excited about it. Working with friends Jada Jones and RJ, he comes up with an idea that he thinks will work, and even gets help from slightly older cousin Cam with ideas. He's worried the project won't be exciting enough, and he is also jealous of Cam's ideas, and the fact that he gets along with Miles' friends. He thinks that everyone else is being successful with everything, and that he is constantly messing up. His father, a professor of Black history, listens to his concerns and is supportive, but also wants Miles to make his own decisions about how to proceed with the science fair work and his dealings with his friends and cousin. 

Strengths: This is a short book, 96 pages, and is essential for elementary libraries. It's also a great choice for reluctant middle school readers who have to have a book for a project and are not happy with longer choices. The text is large, there are some illustrations, and the story progresses well with character development and all of the other things that students have to locate in fiction books. I really liked Miles, and his anxiety and jealousy will ring true with young readers. 
Weaknesses: The time line for science fair seemed a bit abbreviated, but real life science fair preparation drags on and on and wouldn't make for fascinating reading!
What I really think: All three books Including King of the Ice (#1) and Matchmaker (#3) come out in July and are available for just over $14 in a Follett Bound Sewn edition, and I will be putting all three on my list to purchase in August. A great choice for readers who liked Dillard's J.D. and the Great Barber Battle, Mills' Franklin School Friends, or English's Carver Chronicles.