(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Edward Hemingway. Between a school bully, an overprotective mother, and a visiting over-the-top goth teenager, Ben is having a difficult fifth-grade year. The first-person narration doesn't always sound genuine, but the story treats Ben's misery with refreshing seriousness, even if some of its causes are funny. Handwritten portions of text and grayscale spot art provide visual variety that should attract reluctant readers.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax