Confessions of a Candy Snatcher

Gr 6 Up--A profoundly relatable debut, this middle grade novel is told from the perspective of Jonas, a Black seventh grader. He begins to receive anonymous letters in his locker and immediately knows that someone saw what happened on Halloween, when what started as a fairly innocent candy-grabbing spree with his friends ended with Jonas face-to-face with a victim who fought back. Things get harder when his best friend C. asks him to write about "the worst thing he ever did" for her zine, as he confronts his role in the events of that night. Questions about who Jonas is, who his friends are and what their influence on him is, physical boundaries and consent, and exploring responsibility for his actions are at the core of this book. The tone is heartbreakingly innocent, brilliantly so, translating the confusion of middle school and the worry of growing up into the acceptance of all manner of hard truths. Ultimately, Jonas's character is likable and smart, a kid trying to balance his social world with his parents' messy separation, which colors how he interacts with the world. Readers will be completely immersed in this unique, multilayered tale. VERDICT A definite purchase for a middle school library, this debut novel with a delightfully diverse cast provides a truthful account of peer pressure, divorce, and consent.--Rachel Joiner

A tween-made zine and the fallout surrounding a disrupted Halloween tradition force a Black 12-year-old to reckon with his actions in this lively work by debut author Sinclair and Taylor (Garvey's Choice). Jonas and his friends have a holiday tradition of hustling younger kids out of their candy. But after something goes wrong on Halloween--something that Jonas inexplicably barely remembers--he begins receiving cryptic anonymous notes reading "I know it was you," "watch your back," and "tell or I will." While Jonas searches for the perpetrator, his everyday life unravels around him: his parents navigate a contentious separation, and Jonas gets into fights with a classmate. The only thing keeping him afloat is his newly acquired pink typewriter, which he uses to help make a zine with Latinx-cued friend Concepción, who challenges Jonas to use the publication to admit "the worst thing you ever did." Taylor's polished grayscale art features throughout, depicting stories and confessions from Jonas and Concepción's zine. Twining the mystery behind Jonas's fateful All Hallows' Eve with grounded personal conflicts, Sinclair develops a uniquely rendered interpretation of a misunderstood tween seeking stability and a place to belong. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)