Gr 4-7 Two best friends build a fort in the woods and defend it from bullies in this fun, old-fashioned story that manages to be fresh and familiar. Wyatt is enjoying the freedom of a summer with his dad in upstate New York. His friend Augie lives there year-round and has many useful skills that include killing squirrels with a slingshot and cooking them over a fire. There are the expected bullies, two older boys named J.R. and Morrie, and an unexpected friend named Gerard, a socially isolated teenager with developmental disabilities. The two friends spend rapturous days building their fort, looking at a car company's girlie calendar, and other country-boy activities unimpeded by smartphones or YouTube, since Wyatt's father doesn't want him plugged into a screen all day. In a low-stakes climax, the two bullies try to destroy the boys' fort but are foiled by an ingenious series of booby-traps. The moral center of the novel revolves around Wyatt and Augie discovering how J.R. and Morrie are mistreating Gerard and how after some hesitation, they find in him a valuable ally. There is a touch of burgeoning sexuality, mostly as Wyatt notices and appreciates Augie's aunt's figure, but otherwise the tone of the novel is remarkably innocent without being cloying or unrealistic. There is a good balance of action and description and well-developed characters, though the bullies are a tad two-dimensional. VERDICT A boy-centered adventure with heart, appealing to a variety of readers. Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

Wyatt and Augie, both eleven, decide to spend the last two weeks of their summer building a fort in the woods behind Al's junkyard and on the edge of the park. Once the fort is build, they camp out for a couple of days cooking their own captured food over a campfire, swimming in the river, and feeling incredibly confident and peaceful. The next time they return to their camp, someone has trashed it, probably the local bullies, JR and Morie. Or maybeáit was Gerald, who is fifteen, challenged, and accused of setting firesá After they investigate, Wyatt and Augie are sure that Gerald is innocent but also bullied by JR and Morie as they set the fires and blame Gerald. With some inspiration from Al and Uncle Heindel in the form of two wordstrip wiresWyatt and Augie prepare their camp for the invader's next offense and invite Gerald to enjoy in the festivities.A thoroughly enjoyable book with two kind, clever, and responsible main characters who complete their research about trip wires on the library's computers. Fort would make a great beginning for a series. The age of the characters and the reading level make it appropriate for young middle school readers.cj Bott.

Wyatt and Augie's friendship is strong despite the fact that they only see each other in the summer. This particular summer, Wyatt's eleventh, is told as a flashback in the "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" essay that he has no intention of showing to a teacher. The two boys spend their summer in upstate New York (Wyatt comes just for the season; Augie lives there year-round) the way summers are meant to be spent: fishing, hunting, and, above all, camping out in a fort they built themselves. They have a few troubles with bullies, but when those bullies target Gerard, a mentally disabled kid in the neighborhood, it's time to turn the tables. Stuffed full of clever pranks and summertime nostalgia, this is a story of kindness and adventure, and a rare breed in the middle-grade canon that doesn't rely on cheap humor to hold attention. A boisterous and poignant coming-of-age tale.