Answers in the Pages

Looks like a novel, or pieces of several, but fails to coalesce.

Set in a Virginia township, Levithan's timely novel spotlights book banning through the perspectives of two fifth graders, which alternate with excerpts from a fictional novel. When his class's teacher assigns The Adventurers--a book that ends with a vague acknowledgment of love between its male protagonists--Donovan Johnson inadvertently leaves it out on the kitchen counter. His mother picks it up, and soon complains to the principal about its "inappropriate content," an event that not only upends Donovan's life but also sets off a public book challenge that engages community members and other parents. In another classroom, Gideon White, who loves wordplay and turtles, notices his growing attraction to new student Roberto Garcio, with whom he's paired for a unit on Harriet the Spy. And in rapidly paced fragments of The Adventurers, three kids develop close bonds while working to save the world from evil. Levithan smartly employs public and private discourse in a message-forward, interpersonally nuanced novel that centers moments of self-discovery, working themes of acceptance, bravery, friendship, and love into each of the three threads. Most characters read as white; Roberto cues as Latinx; a character in The Adventurers is portrayed as having dark skin. Ages 8-12. (May)

Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 5 Up—A timely and relevant release from prolific author Levithan, this slim tale showcases the turbulence and confusion of fifth grade as a school community tackles a classroom book challenge. The challenge is mainly rooted in a single sentence at the end of the assigned book that a mother happens to read when her son leaves it on the counter. Suddenly the classroom is in an uproar, with readers getting the play-by-play from a number of sources: Donovan, the kid who left the book out and whose mother is challenging it; Gideon and Roberto, two students paired up for a language arts project; and Rick and Oliver, the main characters in the controversial book. The interpretation of the novel and the nature of the challenge become a philosophical quagmire that the school leaders, parents, and students have to traverse, leaving family and friends on both sides of the issue. Levithan deftly addresses the heart of the problem with the words and mind of a student, "We are who we are...and we'll be who we'll be. A book can make us feel that, but it can't invent that. It's already inside us." The alternating points of view gives readers varying perspectives in the chaos. It is a swift ride highlighting the disconnect between students and adults, seemingly unbreakable alliances, and what happens when the weight of history enters the conversation. This heartfelt treatise on book banning and equality showcases how it feels to be stuck in the middle of a generational fight. Levithan has crafted a story that provides a window into a uniquely transitory age, one ripe for exploring the nuance of identity and the nature of personal prohibition, and which ultimately celebrates the messiness of being human, no matter the age. VERDICT An essential purchase for middle school libraries.—Rachel Joiner

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

★ A timely and relevant release. —School Library Journal, starred review

★ [A] nuanced novel that centers moments of self-discovery, working themes of acceptance, bravery, friendship, and love. —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ An uplifting portrait of the strength it takes to fight for your story. It's an important book with an essential perspective on a vital, timeless question. —BookPage, starred review

[A] celebration of quiet queerness, of self-discovery, of allyship, of the way books can open our world and spark adventures both real and imagined. —The New York Times Book Review

"Timely, inspiring, perfect." —The San Francisco Book Review