Making Plans for Nigel Binty

 Stout, Shawn K. Making Plans for Nigel Binty
February 3, 2026 by Peachtree
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Nigel has just transferred to Thorpewood Academy after dealing with a lot of unsettling life changes; his grandparents have passed away, and his parents are separated. This doesn't help lessen his constant anxiety, which often results in an upset stomach. When he makes the unusual decision to pick up a dead mole on the athletic field, he thinks he is going to be in trouble when he is called to the principal's office, but it's just a check in with his mother about Nigel's frequent absences. Of course, when he drops his diorama into which the dead mole was placed, this causes him problems. It also draws him to the attention of new student Glory Bea, who is transferring to the school after her minister father, whom she calls Rev, is sent to jail on embezzlement charges. She's being raised by her Aunt Pauline, who moves Glory Bea from Tennessee to Maryland. Nigel's long time best friend is Milo, but the two aren't getting along very well now that Milo is hanging out with Jonah and Zeke. Glory is struggling in her new school, misses her father, and is getting to know her aunt and her aunt's girlfriend, Etta. When a class field trip to the Chesapeake Bay is announced, Nigel doesn't want to go, but his mother, who is deep into a self help book for "planatics", encourages him to go. He gets paired with Glory, which ends up being a good thing when he faints as he is getting on a boat. Water deeply upsets him. During the course of the trip, however, he reads something a bit mean that Glory has written in her notebook about him, and tells Milo about Glory's father. Milo doesn't keep this a secret, which causes a rift between the two new friends. Nigel is hoping to work on a compulsory cardboard boat project with Glory, but ends up having to go in the boat himself. Will the two ever be able to make up, since they did seem to get along so well? 
Strengths: Nigel and Glory Bea are two well meaning but troubled characters who have had a lot thrown at them, and also have to deal with middle school friend drama. Parents separating or being incarcerated can make life very difficult for children, and I can see how Nigel and Glory might be drawn to each other. While public schools don't have much in the way of field trips these days, I can see a private school having an adventure in nature to inspire poetry and writing. It's good to see that the children have supportive caretakers and access to some therapy. 
Weaknesses: While there are a lot of things going on, it would have helped to have a more defined plot. Since I've elected to do several language arts projects, I've paid more attention to what central conflicts and plot ARCs exist in novels. It's also difficult to pick one theme when there are so many different threads! 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who enjoyed field trip stories that highlighted the problems of some of the characters, like Davis' Food Fight, Richards' Survive This Safari, Jensen's Lilac and the Switchback or Bradley's Daybreak on Raven Island.