Reynolds takes standard elements of the middle-school novel llies, low self-esteem, crushes who don't know you're alive, and family troubles d mixes them into an appealing and compelling story. Narrator Atticus doesn't think he can take much more after his father leaves the family. That is, until Mr. Looney, a long-term substitute, steps into his life. Mr. Looney is unconventional, caring, and understands much of what Atticus is experiencing. He helps Atticus gain confidence through reading a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird autographed by Harper Lee. When the class bully takes things too far, Atticus feels like he's back at square one, but when Mr. Looney needs his help, he finds that he can step up for someone else. Atticus, his friends, and his family are fresh, authentic, and sympathetic in Reynolds' hands. While capably melding character and plot into Atticus' meaningful quest for better self-esteem, Reynolds avoids pat, easy endings in favor of depicting heartening growth in his main character.

Gr 5-8 Eighth-grader Atticus Hobart is having a rough time. He is short and unathletic; his courage (and his voice) routinely fail him, especially when he's around his crush Audrey Higgins; and he is the primary target of a blowhard class bully, who calls him "Fatticus." To make matters worse, his father has just left the family to "figure things out" and the boy can't help but feel that he is somehow to blame. The situation brightens a bit with the arrival of Mr. Looney, a 77-year-old substitute filling in when Atticus's English teacher goes on maternity leave. Early on, Mr. Looney confides in his students that the one thing he has learned in his long teaching career is that "we are most afraid of ourselves." With this revelation and his unconventional and highly dramatic teaching methods, he inspires his charges to get to know themselves and to stand up for what they know to be true. The man takes a special interest in Atticus and lends him his personal copy of their class reading assignment, To Kill a Mockingbird , inscribed by the author. The book changes everything for Atticus, and just in time, since the bully's verbal assaults have turned physical. When Mr. Looney's job is on the line, Atticus is able to rise to the occasion and speak out in his mentor's defense. Reynolds has written an accessible and engaging novel that presents a light, if purposeful, take on finding one's voice, growing into one's name, and discovering courage in unexpected places. The fact that it can be used as companion text to Harper Lee's classic is a great selling point on its own. VERDICT An appealing coming-of-age story told with humor and a great deal of heart. Luann Toth , School Library Journal