Starred Review Disheartened that he's unable to protect his mother from her latest abusive boyfriend, Maverick decides to model his sixth-grade persona on his favorite superheroes (Spider-Man and Captain America) by doing good deeds and protecting smaller, weaker kids at school. "Assuming I could find anybody smaller or weaker than I was." From his first official visit to the assistant principal's office (within an hour of starting middle school) to his last one, when he realizes who his heroes really are and what he wants to become in seventh grade, this engaging first-person narrative captures idealism trampled t also transformed into something more durable and worthwhile. Maverick is a conscientious kid in a household where the refrigerator is often empty and the single parent is loving, if also alcoholic, needy, and dysfunctional, and he makes for a memorable character among many who are realistically complex and contradictory. The girl who disparages Maverick secretly admires him. The "smaller, weaker" boy who rejects his blundering attempt to rescue him later becomes an on-again, off-again friend. Meanwhile, after months of tormenting Maverick, the bully delivers a hard, damaging punch, followed by a surprising act of self-sacrifice and courage. The adult characters are just as quirky, well-drawn, and believable. A rewarding novel, lit with flashes of irrepressible humor.

Maverick Falconer navigates family challenges and various sixth-grade social obstacles before his aunt steps up when Maverick's alcoholic mother hits rock bottom and finally seeks treatment. Sonnenblick's latest chronicle of middle-school life follows the same winning formula as his previous stories: a child in crisis, lots of humorous situations and one-liners, and moments of genuine warmth and emotion.

For white sixth-grader Maverick Falconer, life could hardly be worse. His father died while serving in Afghanistan; he's ashamed of his alcoholic mom, who can't keep a job and attracts abusive boyfriends; he often misses meals and wears worn-out clothes—and, for good measure, he's friendless, mercilessly bullied in school, and can't stay out of trouble. He dreams of being a superhero but berates himself for weakness. Some bright spots peek through: Maverick has a loving, supportive aunt, a pet hamster, and a plastic sheriff's badge his father bought him. This he holds onto to remember his hero dad and to bolster his courage. In fast-paced, breezy, first-person prose that's by turns laugh-out-loud funny and heart-wrenching, Sonnenblick creates in Maverick an endearing protagonist to root for. Despite daunting obstacles, this terrific boy retains a strong sense of self, a sense of humor, and a big heart that impels him to do what's right, as when he defends his archnemesis. Other characters are similarly well-realized, in particular the assistant principal who projects a terrifying persona but is actually compassionate and softhearted. A daring confrontation, some startling revelations, and serious injuries lead to an emotionally satisfying ending in which Maverick acknowledges who real heroes are—and that his kindness proves he was one all along. A winning novel that lays bare some painful truths and is sure to nurture empathy among readers. (Fiction. 10-13)