The Death and Life of Benny Brooks: Sort of a Memoir

by Ethan Long (Author)

The Death and Life of Benny Brooks: Sort of a Memoir
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

An award-winning children's book creator grapples with the darker undercurrents of his childhood in this poignant and honest illustrated memoir, for readers of Free Lunch and The List of Things That Will Not Change.

Benny's life is slowly unraveling. His parents are newly divorced, his mom chooses to move away, and Benny and his brother and sister are left with their chain-smoking dad, who has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. Benny is lonely, anxious, and very angry. He can't sleep at night and spends his days trying to survive fifth grade.

Writing from a personal place, award-winning creator Ethan Long sheds light on the challenges of growing up amidst family turmoil in this thought-provoking, big-hearted story that brims with hope.

Select format:
Hardcover
$16.99

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
Long's heartening memoir portrays a boy facing challenging situations with hard-won hope and increasing maturity.

Kirkus

Starred Review
Sometimes biting, often intense, and marked by moments both of comical awkwardness and grace.

Publishers Weekly

Long (the Junior Monster Scouts series) pulls from events in his childhood to deliver an ardent illustrated novel. A month after 10-year-old Benny's parents' divorce, Benny and his siblings have been living with their chain-smoking father, who recently learned that he has a lump on his lung. Both parents struggle to manage childcare on top of their own difficulties; Mom's new home lacks sufficient sleeping space for all three siblings, and Dad's cancer diagnosis impacts his ability to be present for his children. The family's interpersonal tensions result in emotional tumult for Benny, who starts lashing out in moments of intense anger. His parents sign him up for therapy, and as Benny begins being opening about his worries, he comes to terms with the new realities of his life. Dynamic, youthful-feeling pencil drawings by the protagonist--the sun is depicted as a quintessential semicircle on the edge of the page, and tree canopies are rendered using cloud-like shapes--permeate this slice-of-life narrative, allowing readers glimpses into how Benny views his circumstances. The characters' challenges are realistically handled, and painful moments are balanced with levying humor. Character skin tones reflect the white of the page. Ages 9-14. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Oct.)

Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

Praise for The Death and Life of Benny Brooks:

* Long is known for his wit, and it emerges in this captivating story as well, particularly in his expressive grayscale drawings, which appear throughout the book. The cartoonlike illustrations keep the tone from becoming unbearably dark, even when the topic is death.... Long's heartening memoir portrays a boy facing challenging situations with hard-won hope and increasing maturity.—Booklist, starred review
Ethan Long
Ethan Long is an artist and animator who has written and illustrated dozens of children's books. His accolades include a Theodor Seuss Geisel Medal for Up, Tall, and High! and a daytime Emmy nomination for Tasty Time with Ze Frank.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780316333122
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Christy Ottaviano Books-Little Brown and Hachette
Publication date
October 03, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV039030 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Death & Dying
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV013020 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Marriage & Divorce
Library of Congress categories
Schools
Dysfunctional families
Family problems
Cancer
Divorce
Children of divorced parents
Middle school students
Terminally ill

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