The Horn Book Guide

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Frank, Steven B.

Armstrong & Charlie

298 pp. | Houghton | March, 2017 | Trade ISBN 978-0-544-82608-3 $16.99

(2) 4-6 Charlie, who's Jewish, is starting sixth grade friendless at a new school in 1970s Laurel Canyon, California. Armstrong, another sixth grader, has been rerouted there with other black students for "opportunity busing." Throughout the year, the boys bond over their outsider status. Frank keeps the somewhat conventional plot mainly stereotype-free. Complex, believable relationships with adults abound, and Armstrong and Charlie are endearing and layered protagonists.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017