The Best At It, by Maulik Pancholy

     My last OBOB title for this season, and a first book by author Pancholy. The Best At It tells the story of 7th grader Rahul Kapoor, and Indian American living in Indiana and navigating middle school much like you are (or did!). He is really good at math, but afraid of the stereotypes that that brings with it. His skin is brown, unlike most of his White classmates, and that causes him stress, too. And, in addition to being in 7th grade and trying to survive middle school, he thinks he might be gay. 

    Pancholy weaves all of these elements together well, and with a lot of humor, but also a lot of realism. You'll find yourself thinking and feeling along with Rahul, and especially in the second half of the story I found myself really feeling for him and his circumstances. There were many places throughout the story where the author's "newness" to YA books comes through (he's not as polished as some other, more seasoned writers are), but nothing glaring or over-the-top obvious. 

    The themes in the story are important ones, and still some that are not written about as often as they should be, in my pug opinion. The Best At It won a Stonewall Honor Award, given by the American Library Association for books addressing themes of the LGBTQA+ community. That alone tells you that this book is worth your time. Overall, important, well written (but not amazing), and I expect we will see more books from Pancholy in the future! 4 paws!

King of the Screwups, by K.L. Going

     Many years ago I read a book called Fat Kid Rules the World, and I LOVED it! Written by K.L. Going, it had elements that spoke to me personally (music, bullying, acceptance)...it was like nothing I had ever read, and it is one of my all-time favorite teen/YA books, even to this day! So imagine my joy when I came across a copy of Fat Kid at a local bookstore, alongside another Going book I had never read before, King of the Screwups. Written in 2009, it isn't new, to be sure, but classic Going. Both of these books remind me a little of Catcher in the Rye, only more modern...teen characters, real world situations...but with twists that are not predictable, in believable language, and no one I have read gets into a person's head with more realism and connection than this author does.

    That said, Screwups is the story of Liam, a teenager who is forever trying to please his abusive father. He has a special connection to his mother, but she, too, is emotionally abused by her husband. Liam gets kicked out of his house and ends up living with his uncle, a glam rocking, cross-dressing dj. He spends every waking moment trying to not be popular in his new school and town, which goes wrong at every turn. A storyline that might wither under some other author's writing, but Going makes it a page turner, with great insights, realism, and connection to all of the main characters.

    If Fat Kid was not one of my all-time favorites, this would get a 5 paw rating. It's really good, but not Fat Kid good, so it gets 4 paws and a wag! A highly recommended book and author for anyone wanting to read realistic fiction written by a wonderful writer. Probably a bit strong for 6th graders, but mature 7th graders and up should love this!

Shadow School Book 1: Archimancy, by J. A. White

     What a fun book this is! Another of this season's OBOB books, this spooky ghost story stars Cordelia, and her friends Benji and Agnes. This trio are trying to solve the mystery of the ghosts who inhabit their middle school, but the story is not anywhere near that simple! Author White is responsible for the Thickety series, an equally scary series of books, none of which I've read yet...but that may change after reading Archimancy.

    This is a good mystery, not too easy to figure out but also not too hard so that you have no idea what's happening until some big reveal at the end. Definitely targeted to 6th and 7th graders more than 8th grade and above, which doesn't mean this book can't be enjoyed by anyone (even pugs!). But it doesn't have edgy romance scenes, or hints at violence or even super serious drama - not that those things are bad! But Archimancy is an easy, fun, mysterious ghost story that is fun to read, fast to finish, and luckily, the first in a series (so you can keep going with Cordelia and her crew)! Fans of The Graveyard Book would enjoy this one...4 paws!

A Good Kind of Trouble, by Lisa Moore Ramee

     Happy New Year, Readers! What better way to start a new year than with an OBOB book for this season! The second book by author Ramee but the first one I have read (the third one is coming this year!). A Good Kind of Trouble is the story of seventh grader Shayla, doing her best to navigate friends, family, school, and race. She has some successes but also her fair share of bumps along the way, as we all do (or did!). Ramee does a great job of creating Shayla's voice throughout the story, and the real intensity comes nearer the end of the book when Shayla's race and the Black Lives Matter movement finally face each other. It's well written and BLM is very well explained (to those of every race), and in fact this storyline is the best part of the book, I think. 

    Overall, Trouble is a good book, but not great. However, the Black Lives Matter aspect of the book is important - not only to read but also to put out in the conversations we have with each other. Ramee works this well into Shayla's character and the story, with a couple of "too easy" characters and situations worked in. But mostly, this is a solid book, and a good addition to this season's OBOB list! 3 paws and a wag!