November 19, 2024 by HarperCollins
At least one review of middle grade literature every single day, and years of reviews going back to 2006. All the #MGLit you could ever want.
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Thursday, November 21, 2024
Dead Below Deck
November 19, 2024 by HarperCollins
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
Clutch Time (Shot Clock #2)
Weaknesses: While this is a sequel, I feel like I missed something with Kofi and Ripp's story. The style also seemed different; there was more texting on the page, and more slang. Maybe it has yet to have a final round of edits.
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The Lonely Below
August 6, 2024 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Eva Mauberry live in Tennessee, but her parents have to go to Mississippi to deal with her grandmother's estate. Her older sister Egypt is in college, but her parents want her to spend a semester in Blythe Academy, a private school that her father attended, so that they can focus on wrapping up the grandmother's concerns. Eva's Aunt Nooncie has just taken a job teaching at the school, so will be there to help as well. Eva does make friends quickly, including her roommate Vee, who is Dominican, and Ami, who is Black and Thai as well as nonbinary. She also talks to a girl named Mac, who seems to disappear quickly on some occasions. The school has a long history of being haunted, mainly because it was built on land that was taken from a Black community by the Friends of Lafayette Falls Lake group, who then built the school. Eva has a meltdown in the office after a ghostly woman grabs her wrist; her father has to be called to calm her down. He believes her a bit about the ghost, but not that it hurt her. Eva is autistic, but was hoping to keep this a secret longer, although her new friends are understanding. As Eva tries to figure out why the school is haunted, she finds other information about a classroom that collapsed fifty years ago, killing a teacher. Vee and Ami believe her, and try to help her with her research. There is one student, Theo, who is occasionally mean to Eva, but also gives her ear buds that her autistic brother finds useful. There is a Centennial Celebration being planned for the school, and since the previous catastrophe happened during the last big celebration, the students want to figure things out quickly. Mac seems helpful, but when a group of girls try a Bloody Mary type chant in the bathroom, things get strange. What part did Mac have in the history of the school, and can Eva and her friends figure out why the school is haunted?
Monday, November 18, 2024
MMGM- Lonely Planet Kids: The Rocks Book and Deadly Animal Atlas
November 5, 2024 by Lonely Planet
Copy provided by the Publisher
Are you always taking small stones out of your dryer's lint trap because you have a rock obsessed kid? This is the book you need! In Lonely Planet's typical beautiful style, THE ROCKS BOOK provides all of the information your budding geologist might need to start on a fascinating hobby that might even turn into a career.
This starts with basic information about what exactly rocks are. Going all the way back to the formation of planets, there's also a good explanation about the Earth's layers, shifting plates, and different kinds of rocks (igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic). The all important rock cycle is explained with fantastic diagrams. The most interesting thing to me (with my liberal arts mind) was the inclusion of thumbnail biographies about people through history who have studied geology, going all the way back to Theophrastus in 372 BCE!
Crystals, gemstones, and rock formation also get entries, as do minerals and fossils. I enjoyed the chapter on how we use rocks; building and jewelry were readily apparent, but many young readers might not know that rocks liked talc, gypsum, and salt are used as ingredients.
It wouldn't be a Lonely Planet book without a little trip around the world, discussing the rocks of different countries. The part that may appeal most to children, once they are armed with all of the previous information, is the chapter "How to be a Rock Hound". Collecting is always a fascinating pastime, and rocks seem like something that would be inexpensive to amass, and easy enough to disperse when the collection no longer holds appeal. This chapter starts with responsible collecting, which I appreciated, but also has some good tips on washing, sorting, and storing ones "quarry".
The best part of the book, however, is the "Directory of Rocks and Minerals". This is an extensive catalog, complete with pictures, of examples of different kinds of rocks, broken down into categories. While it might be hard to find snowflake obsidian in one's backyard (depending on location), the pictures are fun to look at. Since the book also has a good glossary as well as a robust index, young readers will be able to find the information they need to identify their finds.
While I have some nonfiction books in my school library on rocks, they are usually from publishers who sell mainly to the academic market. National Geographic has a serviceable identification guide and an Ultimate Rock-opedia, and Dorling Kindersley has an Illustrated Guide to Rocks and Minerals, but the combination of history, global coverage, and identification guide makes The Rocks Book a great one stop source of information. Combine this with a small box for keeping specimens, and you'll be able to keep your rock hound digging for hours!
My only concern about this is that the binding might not hold up terribly well to library use; the corners of the new copy I have are already showing wear from traveling in the mail and to school in my back pack. I don't have a full report yet. This is just a suspicion.
Lonely Planet. Lonely Planet Kids Deadly Animal Atlas
November 19, 2024 by Lonely Planet
Copy provided by the Publisher
Lonely Planet takes us around the world again... but this time, we might not come back! Starting with a map of the world showing the location of all manner of deadly animals, reptiles, and insects, this shows all of the possible ways we can perish in our travels, from vampire bats in South America to the Sydney Funnel-Web Spider in Australia. Since this deadly animals are hugely interesting to young readers, this book will be a hit, even though I personally am identifying with the cute little penguins that are an arm's length away from being gobbled down by a leopard seal!
In a unique landscape format that employs fold out pages, young readers will find out about different sorts of deadly weapons employed by animals, and there are even lift a flap sections (that I highly recommend opening BEFORE giving to anyone under the age of 16!). Starting in North America, we get a description of habitats, and then some of the animals in those areas described in the pages underneath. This repeats through all of the continents, giving animal and after animals. I liked the inset maps showing exactly where the creatures are supposed to be found, just in case I ever find myself in the Carpathian Mountains, trying to avoid a Fire Salamander.
Because of the nature of the sturdy, fold out pages, some with double layered flaps, there is no table of contents, index, or supplementary material at the end of the book. While this makes it somewhat less useful for research, this is more of a coffee table or back seat of the car book, perfectly for dipping through on rainy days or on long trips. This is also has a mixture of illustrations and photographs, which might make it more appealing to slightly younger readers.
Lonely Planet has really been stepping up their game, making them a great addition to similar titles about nature and the world like Dorling Kindersley's Nature's Deadliest Creatures Visual Encyclopedia or National Geographic Kids Deadly Animals Collection. For younger readers, combining this book with a collection of small plastic animals will make a great gift, but be prepared for the sounds of roaring and screaming as the Australian Silent Snapper or the Green Jararaca viper has a Fisher-Price farm cow for dinner. Also, this book has reaffirmed by belief that were I to travel to Australia, I would die a horrible death!
MMGM- On Track and All Shook Up
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October 1, 2024 by Wide Eyed Editions
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Sunday, November 17, 2024
If We Were Having Coffee
Saw this at The Story Sanctuary; If We Were Having Coffee was started by The Perpetual Page Turner, and looked like something I would rather be doing than what I should be doing. I would, of course, be drinking tea, but I'd have some apple pie to share.
If We Were Having Coffee, I would tell you that I've read 1,004 books for the year, and finding it really hard to be motivated to read anything else until January. This week, my goal is just a book a day. I'm currently reading Robert Lipsyte's Rhino's Run, and it's really good. Mr. Lipsyte is 86 years old. He and Avi are still on top of things!
If We Were Having Coffee, I might complain about the six new carts of Chromebooks that were dropped off at my school when I was out for a doctor's appointment, but I would spin it to sound funny rather than super annoying. We're glad to have new devices, but we were e mailed one plan, and another one happened. That involved having students return Chromebooks in the middle of the day. You can just imagine the chaos.
If We Were Having Coffee, I would show you the 1979 Sunset Designs Jiffy Needlepoint Christmas tree ornament kit that my daughter picked up for me at the thrift store. It was already started, but the stitches were going backwards. Had to continue it that way. We made up a whole sad backstory about Janet, the original crafter, and why she had to abandon the project in 1981 after a bitter divorce from Gary. I have done any wool needlepoint since about the time this vaguely creepy Santa was produced!
If We Were Having Coffee, my dog Leo would probably jump up on my lap and sniff my tea to see if it was something he wanted. He's been with me since June but has recently become all too comfortable. He is not allowed at the kitchen table, and was promptly removed. He has taken to settling himself on pillows on the sofa and barging in to any room I am in even if the door is ajar. I guess he has finally decided that I am his forever human.
If We Were Having Coffee, I wouldn't talk about my recuperation from my tendon replacement because it's just boring and annoying. The doctor is happy with my progress, and I'm back to walking to work, but it still doesn't feel great.
The weather is cool but sunny, and Leo and I have been getting in our steps after doing chores, some of which involved a little bit of sewing, so now that's all I want to do! Have a great week!
All My Bests
November 12, 2024 by Aladdin
Weaknesses: There are a lot of details about the songs that may not resonate with middle school readers, but high school students might find looking into the music of the era when they were born interesting. It might have been helpful to have included a playlist of all the songs if readers wanted to listen to them without having to page back through the story.
What I really think: At 384 pages, this is a little on the long side, but the inclusion of the male perspective in a romance, as well as Jack's anxiety, make this a compelling story. This is perfect for fans of dual point romances like Blecher's Listen to This and Heldring's The Football Girl.
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Uprooted
Weaknesses: The author has a note that she started writing a graphic novel about her father's childhood experience but then realized she really wanted to pivot more towards her own story; I want a novel about the father's experiences! I can't say I've read much about the second Sino-Japanese War, and I'd love to know more.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Brown's While I Was Away or Matula's The Not-So-Uniform Life of Holly Mei, or want more graphic novel memoirs set during this era, like Ogle's Four Eyes, Doodles From the Boogie Down, Big Apple Diaries, or Santat's A First Time for Everything.
Friday, November 15, 2024
Guy Friday- Everything We Never Had
August 27, 2024 by Kokila
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central
When Francisco Maghabol's father leaves his mother and sisters in early 1900s Manila, his mother is barely able to make ends meet. Francisco is sent to the US to work and send money back to the family. While missionaries and others have said that there were lots of jobs and good money, this is not the case. He ends up working long hours in the field, and having to use his scant pay to reimburse farmers for clothing, shelter, and basic tools of the trade. He does have the community of other immigrants from the Philippines, and socialized at a dance hall. When local white citizens got angry with their daughters talking to immigrants, Francisco gets caught in the middle of the Watsonville Riots. A good friend is killed, and Francisco embarks on a life of social activism, trying to get justice and fair treatment for farmworkers. In 1965, we meet his son, Emil, who is angry that he has to work long hours at his aunt's restaurant when he should be spending time studying for school. He's bright, and would like to go to college, but his father is rarely home, and too invested in the community to pay attention to his family. As the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott heats up, Francisco wants Emil to join him. When Emil does, he learns alarming things about his father, and returns home to his grandmother, Beatriz, determined to distance himself from his family as well as the Filipino American community. He gets a degree in engineering, marries a white woman, and raises his son Chris without any cultural knowledge or background. In 1983, Chris' grades are slipping, and his father forces him to quit the football team. Chris has failed to turn in a history project, and ends up spending a lot of time at the library, delving into books and microfiche to learn more about the history of the Philippines. He is surprised, and also horrified at the murder of Beningo Aquino. When he tries to talk to his father about this, his father tells him there is nothing to be gained from delving into the past. The two have a huge falling out. Chris becomes a science teacher, and lives with his Latine wife Julia and son Enzo in Philadelphia in 2020. He has a better relationship with Enzo, and celebrates his culture with community, culture, and cooking. Enzo is an anxious teen, and as the COVID-19 pandemic descends, he is not happy that Emil moves out of his assisted living facility and takes over Enzo's room. Enzo has a tendency to spiral, and refers to his disturbing thoughts as "murder hornets". His parents are both supportive and have him in therapy, but having Emil around is stressful. Chris and Emil cannot managed to get along, and Chris has taken up smoking again. Enzo does go for walks with his grandfather and his dog, Thor, and the two end up talking a good deal. When Enzo suggests that Chris join them, it ends in a fight. Will the generations be able to overcome their differences and come to some mutual understanding that will allow them to be a connected family?
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Hungry Bones
Weaknesses: This is rather long, and would probably be more successful with readers who like historical fiction rather than horror fans. It's not really scary at all, and was more interesting once I stopped waiting for scary things to happen and started to enjoy the historical aspects. The cover reminds me of 1980s covers, so this will be hard to place with readers in my library.
What I really think: This is a great choice for readers who enjoyed Urban's Almost There And Almost Not, Royce's The Creepening of Dogwood House, or Oh's Spirit Hunters.
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Are You Nobody, Too?
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Emily was adopted from China by a white couple who live in New York City, and has spent all of her school years in a small Montessory school, Meadowlake. During the pandemic, her father lost his job, and her mother's salary as a teacher at a community college is not enough to pay for the tuition. In ninth grade, she transfers to IS 23, which has a large Asian population and Chinese language classes. Since Emily always felt out of place at Meadowlake, sicne there were few students of Asian descent, it feels comforting at first to be with others who look like her and who don't bully herr because of her ethnicity. Emily struggled with feelings of isolation during the pandemic, and is no longer in contact with her two best friend. She has also cut her hair very short, wears white combat boots, and feels anxious all the time. She feels out of place in the new school as well, since her classmates assume that because she looks Chinese she should know the language. There are some girls who try to be nice to her, but she keeps them at arm's length. She does get to know Grace a bit, and slowly broadens he horizons. Her father, who has been depressed, has some of his photographs exhibited and seems to be on an upwards path, engaging in the community more. This is helpful to Emily as well. Having discovered the poetry of Emily Dickinson, and feeling like it is speaking to her own mental state, Emily does some research into the author and her work, and is able to make more connections to people in her school during this process.
Weaknesses: I was surprised that a public school library in New York City would still have books that were "not systemized by computer". This allows Emily to see her teacher's name on a check out card and ask him about the book, but I think that unless a school is SUPER small, the catalog would be online. Reading an entire novel written in Dickinson's breathless style was a challenge.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Westfallen
September 17, 2024 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Henry, Frances, and Lukas used to be good friends, but when the children developed different interest in middle school, they saw less and less of each other. When their gerbil dies, Henry contacts the other two for a funeral. While digging, they unearth an old radio, and manage to get it to work. They talk to three children their age, Alice, Lawrence, and Artie, who are also from their New Jersey town. They arrange to meet, and both groups are disappointed. When they talk again, landmarks come up. Alice is confused about a war memorial being at the specified location, and Henry is confused about Snyder's Sweet Shop. Why? Henry is in 2023, and Alice and her friends are in 1944. The groups try several experiments to connect across time, and are both clearly tied to the same house address and a shed on the property. When Henry finds out that Snyder's burned down because of a faulty hot plate, Alice and her friends make sure to get the owner to unplug it. The next day at school, one of Henry's classmates, Ada, is not there, and her father's magic shop isn't either, although the Snyder's building is. Upon researching, they realize that Snyder's became a convenience store, and Ada's father was killed working there in 1987. Alice and her friends manage to get the store to burn down a few days later, but things go badly, badly wrong. Unfortunately, both sets of kids destroy the radio, so that they can't contact each other and start other "butterfly effects". It's too late, however. Instead of being in the USA, the children in 2023 are now in Westfallen, which is run by German Nazis. While Frances is Aryan and therefore doing well, Henry is part Black, so assigned to work details in a hospital instead of going to school. Lukas, who is Jewish, is assigned to hard field labor. Realizing that they have to find a way to return the world to a course where the US is victorious, the children discover that a telegram was sent from their town that caused D Day to be a German victory. They manage to communicate across time, and the shed helps Henry and Frances remember the ways things were before. Lukas, however, has his actions circumscribed by his discriminated against status. Will Henry be able to find the woman who sent the telegram and stop it from alerting the Nazis?
Weaknesses: We don't get too many details about what happened to Alice's mom, and I could have used a little more explanation of how Henry and Alice are related. Also, there is a short scene in 1944 with folding a fitted sheet. Fitted sheets would not have been widely adopted until the 1950s. I'm a stickler for details like that, and there was no good reason to have specifically fitted sheets.
What I really think: This has some similarities to Scarrow's Time Riders (2011), with the Germans winning World War II, but that is as old as my students by this point! Also, this gets a lot of bonus points for the radio that connects the two time periods. I can't think I've ever seen anything like that! The Voyagers! feel to this definitely appealed to me! The ending of this had Ada pulling up in a van and telling the kids to get in, so I wonder if there will be a sequel.
Monday, November 11, 2024
MMGM- Off the Map and Kid Musicians
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Weaknesses: Marlo's mom is a professional river guide who's spent years in the Yukon wilderness, and yet she lets her daughter go off without her own satnav phone? And they bring their dog? Of course, there wouldn't be a story is Amos and Marlo stayed with the parents, but they seemed a bit I'll prepared for the emergencies that might come up in such a journey. Did love that Marlo and Amos had to pay for the damaged canoe by earning money, but was it really their fault? Young readers will not have these reactions.
What I really think: There are just never enough survival stories for my students, so I will definitely purchase this, and it will make a nice display with Bledsoe's Running Wild, and Behren's Alone in the Woods, Downings' Just Keep Walking, Greci's The Wild Lands, Goebel's Backcountry, and Philbrick's Wild River. Very new titles also include Smith's Stranded, Russell's It Came from the Trees, and what I still think is essentially a survival tale, Neri's Safe Passage.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Happy & Sad & Everything True
November 12, 2024 by Aladdin
Weaknesses: There is not a lot that happens in this book, so tweens might find it a little slow. Also, Juniper's concerns about having Dee as a friend are something that she should be allowed to have, although she should not have been allowed to try to get Dee into trouble. It's also not terribly surprising that Juniper's family wanted the girls separated, but Dee's mother should not have told her about that.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like contemplative books about relationships like DiCamillo's Ferris, Swartz's Hidden Truths, or Conklin's Crushed.
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Saturday Morning Cartoons- The Squad
The Squad (The Tryout #2)
November 12, 2024 by Graphix
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Even though she didn't make the 8th grade cheerleading squad, Christina is having a good year. She still practices the cheer routines with her good friends Megan and Leanne, has a crush on the very cute Andy, is taking home ec, and is very excited about her new art project, which she is working on with a group. It's sculptures of toes, which seems perfectly reasonable for a middle school art project! She still hangs out with Greg (whom she "loves but doesn't 'like'"), and avoids the racist Tobin, who isn't quite as bad as he's been in the past, although his friends still call Christina "rice girl" and other horrible names. While Christina is the only Asian in her small Texas town, when she goes to church and hangs out with other Thai students, she still doesn't feel like she fits in, since she is half Thai and doesn't speak the language. While her life is going pretty well, there is some tension, since her parents' restaurant isn't doing as well as they would like, and her parents are arguing a lot. When it turns out that there will be THREE spots on the high school cheer squad, the friends are sure that they can try out and get them, and that this would be the thing that would make life absolutely perfect. Of course, life changes quickly, and when her father moves out, Christina tries to tell herself that her parents are just separating. Since one of her favorite movies is the Hayley Mills' version of The Parent Trap, she's determined to get her parents back together, and doesn't really listen to what they have to say. Eventually, her parents tell her that it's a done deal; they are divorcing, and the mom sells her half of the house and the restaurant business to the dad. She gets a job, but it's in the nearest large town, and rents an apartment. This is a lot to deal with while tryouts are going on, and it's a big relief when Christina and Megan make the high school squad. Sadly, Leanne doesn't, and this causes a temporary rift. Christina is angry about her parents, and also bears some resentment towards the people who want to be her friend now that she's a cheerleader. Why didn't they want to be her friend before? This causes her to be a bit snotty to others. She's excited about cheerleading camp, but it's a lot of work, and eventually her feelings bubble to the surface and she shares them with her new squad. This helps a little, and while life isn't perfect, it's still pretty good.
Weaknesses: Sure, I know in my heart of hearts that the cheerleaders who were mean to me when I was in middle and high school probably were mean because they were deeply wounded individuals and I should feel sorry for them, but since several of them were still nasty to me at our 40th class reunion, this is hard to believe. We can only hope that cheerleaders today are not as elitist. And snotty.
What I really think: I love the variety of Soontornvat's writing; she's done nonfiction (All Thirteen, Made in Asian America), fantasy (Legends of Lotus Island and Time After Time), alternative history (The Last Mapmaker), and even a picture book biography (A Life of Service: The Story of Senator Tammy Duckworth)! I'd love to see her do more funny, realistic fiction, but it will just be fun to see what she turns her hand to next!
Friday, November 08, 2024
Guy Friday- Shadowed
Weaknesses: The contemplative tone, as well as the long time period, makes this more of a young adult book. I definitely appreciate that Deuker is always circumspect in his use of language and situations, making his books suitable for younger readers as well as older ones. The story moves more slowly because so many emotions are being processed.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who want an upper middle grade/lower young adult book that covers a long range of time, like Volponi't Top Prospect , and reminded me a little of Whitaker's Snap Decision. The way the death is treated is somewhat reminiscent of Stokes' Fadeaway, and definitely reminded me of Bunting's hard-hitting 1999 Blackwater. This is not quite as sad as Deuker's Swagger (2013), but lacks the intrigue of High Heat or, my favorite, Runner.
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Bank
March 8, 2018 by Little Island Books
Copy provided by Young Adult Books Central
Luke, who lives in a town in Ireland, is dealing with the disintegrating finances of his family, which leads to problems for him, like having no internet for schoolwork, forcing him to hunker down in the family bathroom and use his neighbor's connection. When his friend Finn shows up at school with a wad of cash, all of the boys in their group are a bit confused, until Finn tells them about his epiphany in the dentist's chair. All of their classmates desperatelyf want to get tickets to the upcoming Boy Wonder contest, but they don't have the ready cash necessary, and their parents are not about to bankroll this particularl endeavor. Finn proposes that he loan money to a select group, and plans to charge a pound in interest every week, with a steeper penalty if the loan isn't paid on time. He needs his friends to help with various aspects of the "business", including recruiting people. The group's first customer is Speedy O'Neill, who owes sixty pounds to the cafeteria, and doesn't want his parents to find out. Since Finn's mother is an estate agent who is lazy with her keys to properties, Finn finds an old butcher shop on the books for a business front. He recruits Emily, on whom Luke has a bit of a crush, to help with the math. They also give a loan to Jo and Lucy, who have developed a software app called "Tagged" that is a matchmaking program, and the group arranges for a cut of the profit. Also on their books is Paddy, who has trained piglets to dance and march, and posts videos about them. He wants liquid assets to pay for a pet hotel to keep them safe! Wanting to expand their business further, and realizing that the football (soccer, in the US) team has a source of income from a stipend for getting uniforms washed, Finn also takes deposits and promises interest. When schoolmate Mucker wants a larger than usual interest loan to buy sample sports equipment from his uncle, he gets his loan when he offers to pay a larger rate of interest. Aside from Emily's bookkeeping, the records are not great, and Luke finds himself storing a lot of the money under his bed. Some of the other funds are stashed in the butcher's shop. For a while, things are going well, but eventually there are problems. Paddy's father hasn't paid off the pigs. The Tagged app is banned at school. Bets for a soccer shoot out might have to be returned when one of the participants is injured. Luke finds himself syphoning off more and more of the money, and when the group needs to have cash at had, they find that some of it has been stolen by Brazilians tourists, and that they can't get into the butcher shop because it's been sold and turned into a nail salon. Will Finn and his associates be able to locate enough of the funds to take care of their debts before closing the business down?
I loved that this was told from the point of Finn, who is really secondary to most of the business dealings. We get to experience all of the loans and schemes through his eyes, and see that Finn really has not thought through any of this! Luke, despite his troubles at home, is a pretty good kid, who wants to do the right thing, but also isn't about to go making trouble and questioning the other teens who are involved. His crush on Emily is sweet, and he's a nice, calm foil for the mayhem that is swirling around him.
The language of the book is very colloquial, so some US readers might take a moment to adjust to the Irish vernacular, which includes laundrettes, pounds, Mams, and feckin'. Since there is a lot of action at the beginning as well as a lot of characters that are introduced, going into this story knowing that there might be some unfamiliar vocabulary might be helpful to tween and teens readers.
The draw here is the constant, swirling absurdity that Luke witnesses. There are a group of boys called the "Teletubbies" because of an incident with paint, a boy named Specks who lives out of a farm and rents out both recording studio time and campsites, and a scene where the boys plan on having manicures so that they can distract the new nail salon owners and retrive their savings. While it's all a bit far fetched, none of it seems impossible.
There are a number of books where students have impossible schemes, and it's always fun to read about. Teens trying to behave like adults is always fun to read, and I can see this book being a hit with readers who enjoyed Mitchell's How to Rob a Bank, Johnson's The Great Greene Heist, Schreiber's Con Academy, and Carter's Heist Society.