Synopsis

From the critically acclaimed author of Waiting for Normal and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Leslie Connor, comes a deeply poignant and beautifully crafted story about self-reliance, redemption, and hope.

Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard.

An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day.

Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground haven for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He's desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin and, eventually, Benny.

But will anyone believe him?

National Book Award Finalist * ALA Schneider Family Book Award * 2019 ALSC Notable Children's Book * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018 * 2019-2020 Nebraska Golden Sower Award * Amazon Best Books of 2018 * Kirkus Best of Children's 2018 * New York Public Library Best Books 2018 * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2018 * 2018 Nerdy Book Club Middle Grade Winner * South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee * 2020 Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee * Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2019 (9-12) * 2020 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee * 2020-2021 Missouri Association of School Librarians Mark Twain Readers Award Preliminary Nominee * 2020-2021 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee * 2021 Connecitcut Nutmeg Book Award Middle Grade Nominee *

Author: Leslie Connor
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: 01/23/2018
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.92lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780062491435
Award: Schneider Family Book Award - Winner
Award: National Book Awards - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 01/01/2018
Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2017 pg. 73
School Library Journal 11/01/2017 pg. 71
Booklist 11/01/2017 pg. 61
Publishers Weekly 11/06/2017
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2018 pg. 82
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2018 - Superior,Well Above Average