Stuntboy, in the Meantime
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-12-16 06:51:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jason Reynolds
- ISBN：1534418164
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From Newbery Medal honoree and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a hilarious， hopeful， and action-packed middle grade novel about the greatest young superhero you’ve never heard of， filled with illustrations by Raúl the Third！
Portico Reeves’s superpower is making sure all the other superheroes—like his parents and two best friends—stay super。 And safe。 Super safe。 And he does this all in secret。 No one in his civilian life knows he’s actually…Stuntboy！
But his regular Portico identity is pretty cool， too。 He lives in the biggest house on the block， maybe in the whole city， which basically makes it a castle。 His mom calls where they live an apartment building。 But a building with fifty doors just in the hallways is definitely a castle。 And behind those fifty doors live a bunch of different people who Stuntboy saves all the time。 In fact， he’s the only reason the cat， New Name Every Day， has nine lives。
All this is swell except for Portico’s other secret， his not-so-super secret。 His parents are fighting all the time。 They’re trying to hide it by repeatedly telling Portico to go check on a neighbor “in the meantime。” But Portico knows “meantime” means his parents are heading into the Mean Time which means they’re about to get into it， and well， Portico’s superhero responsibility is to save them， too—as soon as he figures out how。
Only， all these secrets give Portico the worry wiggles， the frets， which his mom calls anxiety。 Plus， like all superheroes， Portico has an arch-nemesis who is determined to prove that there is nothing super about Portico at all。
Portico Reeves’s superpower is making sure all the other superheroes—like his parents and two best friends—stay super。 And safe。 Super safe。 And he does this all in secret。 No one in his civilian life knows he’s actually…Stuntboy！
But his regular Portico identity is pretty cool， too。 He lives in the biggest house on the block， maybe in the whole city， which basically makes it a castle。 His mom calls where they live an apartment building。 But a building with fifty doors just in the hallways is definitely a castle。 And behind those fifty doors live a bunch of different people who Stuntboy saves all the time。 In fact， he’s the only reason the cat， New Name Every Day， has nine lives。
All this is swell except for Portico’s other secret， his not-so-super secret。 His parents are fighting all the time。 They’re trying to hide it by repeatedly telling Portico to go check on a neighbor “in the meantime。” But Portico knows “meantime” means his parents are heading into the Mean Time which means they’re about to get into it， and well， Portico’s superhero responsibility is to save them， too—as soon as he figures out how。
Only， all these secrets give Portico the worry wiggles， the frets， which his mom calls anxiety。 Plus， like all superheroes， Portico has an arch-nemesis who is determined to prove that there is nothing super about Portico at all。
Reviews
BiblioBrandie
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A graphic novel that tackles issues like anxiety and parents separating。 It felt a little hard to follow at times and the graphics overwhelmed me。 I think younger kids will love it though。
Krissy Ronan
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Super fun book that will be relatable to so many readers。 The story pacing felt a little frenetic to me but that is what will make it perfect for it’s target audience （not middle age-ish ladies）。Recommended for upper elementary。
Michelle Tuite
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Reading 2021Book 167: Stuntboy， in the Meantime by Jason ReynoldsThose that know， know Jason Reynolds is one of my favorite YA authors。 If he has book coming out， I must have it on pub day。 Portico Reeves is a guy with a new best friend， an arch nemesis， and a cool secret identity。 He finds that there is lots of Meantime in his house lately， then he realizes his parents are getting a divorce。 Stuntboy must pull out all of his super powers to get through all of the hurdles that life is putting in Reading 2021Book 167: Stuntboy， in the Meantime by Jason ReynoldsThose that know， know Jason Reynolds is one of my favorite YA authors。 If he has book coming out， I must have it on pub day。 Portico Reeves is a guy with a new best friend， an arch nemesis， and a cool secret identity。 He finds that there is lots of Meantime in his house lately， then he realizes his parents are getting a divorce。 Stuntboy must pull out all of his super powers to get through all of the hurdles that life is putting in his way。Stuntboy is a graphic novel reviewed for ages 7 and older。 A little younger than many of Jason Reynolds's books， and the reason it took me a bit to get settled into the story。 At first it seems very silly， and the art very big and over the top。 Then when you get to the meat of the story， you see the depth。 Of course it is written for young to middle grade readers hence the way the book is presented。 In the end， definitely recommend。 4 ⭐。 。。。more
Katrina
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Engaging art， relatable characters， and typical Jason Reynolds brilliance and humor。 No complaints！
Carrie
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I will buy anything that Jason Reynolds writes。 This book puts a voice to anxiety for kids in a way that's easy to understand。 I will buy anything that Jason Reynolds writes。 This book puts a voice to anxiety for kids in a way that's easy to understand。 。。。more
Shaketta
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Jason Reynolds is a master story teller and everything he created is a masterpiece。 I want to address some of the reviews that I saw that said that parts of this book is not relatable 🤔， but the ADULTS fail to realize that children at the age of 10 still have an imagination and there are different levels of learners！ But I digress！I loved how Reynolds has the book setup and I listened to the audiobook courtesy of libro。fm（educators account） and it included so many sound effects and commercial br Jason Reynolds is a master story teller and everything he created is a masterpiece。 I want to address some of the reviews that I saw that said that parts of this book is not relatable 🤔， but the ADULTS fail to realize that children at the age of 10 still have an imagination and there are different levels of learners！ But I digress！I loved how Reynolds has the book setup and I listened to the audiobook courtesy of libro。fm（educators account） and it included so many sound effects and commercial breaks/sidebar explanations that were perfectly timed。 Portico has high anxiety and has to deal with his parents separating and doesn't understand how to handle it。 Because he lives in an apartment building， the reader finds out about other people in the building as well！ Great read！！ 。。。more
Sarah Krajewski
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Portico Reeves sometimes gets cases of “the frets。” When he feels that anxiety creeping in， he visits his best buddy Zola Brawner， another person who lives in the same castle he does。 Zola teaches Portico about meditation and yoga， but what really helps Portico is when he becomes Stuntboy， a superhero who keeps other superheroes safe。 His missions include everything from escaping Herbert Singletary the Worst， the castle bully， to saving his cat， to even saving himself。 I think so many children w Portico Reeves sometimes gets cases of “the frets。” When he feels that anxiety creeping in， he visits his best buddy Zola Brawner， another person who lives in the same castle he does。 Zola teaches Portico about meditation and yoga， but what really helps Portico is when he becomes Stuntboy， a superhero who keeps other superheroes safe。 His missions include everything from escaping Herbert Singletary the Worst， the castle bully， to saving his cat， to even saving himself。 I think so many children will relate， connect， and love this book。 。。。more
Andrea
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This is such a unique book。 I enjoyed the all knowing narrator who nonetheless left some things out so that we could be surprised。 The art and text marry so beautifully。
Tracy
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Such a unique story from Jason Reynolds， with illustrations by Raúl the Third。 The format is engaging， and the plot touches on tough topics for middle grade kids like divorce and anxiety in a kid-centric way。 Portico Reeves is navigating his emotions as he responds to situations about the neighborhood bully and the separation of his parents。 He， with the help of his bestie Zola， copes with some of this anxiety （which he named “the frets”） by inventing fictional action stories that center around Such a unique story from Jason Reynolds， with illustrations by Raúl the Third。 The format is engaging， and the plot touches on tough topics for middle grade kids like divorce and anxiety in a kid-centric way。 Portico Reeves is navigating his emotions as he responds to situations about the neighborhood bully and the separation of his parents。 He， with the help of his bestie Zola， copes with some of this anxiety （which he named “the frets”） by inventing fictional action stories that center around their favorite comic characters， Super Space Warriors。 Along the way there are some hysterical moments involving the cast of characters who live in his apartment building， which Portico dubs “the castle。” The graphics and artwork are so visually engaging， and I think students will really enjoy the format in which this story is told。 。。。more
Nakeisha Austin-Chambers
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Jason Reynolds can do no wrong。 I took me a minute to get into it because I don't read superhero stories or have sons or watch action movies， but it was so much more and I love it！ Jason Reynolds can do no wrong。 I took me a minute to get into it because I don't read superhero stories or have sons or watch action movies， but it was so much more and I love it！ 。。。more
Andee
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It's Jason Reynolds， so of course this is genius。 But I didn't expect it to be an EXPLOSION OF GREAT MAGNITUDE！ I highly recommend listening to the book WHILE having a copy of the book in front of you。 Raul the Third's illustrations should not be missed and neither should the amazing cast of actors reading the words。 I know。。。the book is meant for elementary。 HOWEVER， we adults get the FRETS and we have to remember to breathe from our toes sometimes。 We also have to remember the Xs kids feel， ev It's Jason Reynolds， so of course this is genius。 But I didn't expect it to be an EXPLOSION OF GREAT MAGNITUDE！ I highly recommend listening to the book WHILE having a copy of the book in front of you。 Raul the Third's illustrations should not be missed and neither should the amazing cast of actors reading the words。 I know。。。the book is meant for elementary。 HOWEVER， we adults get the FRETS and we have to remember to breathe from our toes sometimes。 We also have to remember the Xs kids feel， even if we are too wrapped up in our own Xs。I didn't think Reynolds could top himself with my other favorites。。。but he just may have done that。 A true stunt indeed。 Recommended for every living being on earth。 。。。more
Tweller83
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I received this audiobook as part of the Libro。fm educator monthly subscription。
Heidi
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Just got my hands on Stuntboy， in the Meantime by the dynamic duo of Jason Reynolds and Raul the Third， and I couldn’t put it down！ Loved the character of Portico whose superpower stunts helps him cope with his anxiety， which he calls "the frets" - especially handling the "mean time" while his parents are arguing over dividing up their property during their divorce。 Handles difficult topics with sensitivity and humor and great art！ The story is interspersed with scenes from Portico and his bff Z Just got my hands on Stuntboy， in the Meantime by the dynamic duo of Jason Reynolds and Raul the Third， and I couldn’t put it down！ Loved the character of Portico whose superpower stunts helps him cope with his anxiety， which he calls "the frets" - especially handling the "mean time" while his parents are arguing over dividing up their property during their divorce。 Handles difficult topics with sensitivity and humor and great art！ The story is interspersed with scenes from Portico and his bff Zola's fav superhero comic: Super Space Warriors， which are really fun allegories。 This book is a winner。Profile: highly-illustrated fiction with themes of apartment/city living， divorce， anxiety and superheroes。 。。。more
Gigi
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Jason Reynold， what can I say？ I’ll read anything he writes。 This book puts you right inside Portico’s head and let’s you really see the world though his eyes。 There’s so much humor and warmth and thought in every piece of it。 Kids are going to love the character but also see their own worries and fears and relationships。 I can’t wait for my students to get their hands on this one。
Mackie Welch
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This took me a bit to get in to but I ended up loving it！ I want to see more and more books dealing with anxiety and worry in youngers kids。 Lord knows they're going to be experiencing it after the past two years they've lived through。 This took me a bit to get in to but I ended up loving it！ I want to see more and more books dealing with anxiety and worry in youngers kids。 Lord knows they're going to be experiencing it after the past two years they've lived through。 。。。more
Dan
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I finally had a chance to sit down and read Stuntboy， in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raul the Third。 It's really outstanding。 I loved the art， the themes， and especially the creative flow of the narrative。 I can't wait to get it into kids hands soon。 I finally had a chance to sit down and read Stuntboy， in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raul the Third。 It's really outstanding。 I loved the art， the themes， and especially the creative flow of the narrative。 I can't wait to get it into kids hands soon。 。。。more
Becky
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Great book！ The print book is done in Kabouter text-it’s playful and fun。 The black text size changes size for impact with occasional red font to highlight actions。 The images Raul the Third creates are incredible。I also listened to the audiobook; Guy Lockhart does a spectacular job narrating the story of Portico Reeves， a great kid who has a secret identity as Stuntboy。 But things are changing in his home that he doesn’t understand。 His parents constant arguing brings a revelation about his fam Great book！ The print book is done in Kabouter text-it’s playful and fun。 The black text size changes size for impact with occasional red font to highlight actions。 The images Raul the Third creates are incredible。I also listened to the audiobook; Guy Lockhart does a spectacular job narrating the story of Portico Reeves， a great kid who has a secret identity as Stuntboy。 But things are changing in his home that he doesn’t understand。 His parents constant arguing brings a revelation about his family life that his friend Zola and new found kinda-friend Herbert help him understand。The best part about this book？ It sounds like there will be more adventures to come！ This book is a great one to add to library collections or to give as a gift。 。。。more
Brandon Extrom
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This book was amazing。 It is amazing to see people of color as the main characters of children's books。 We need more of these books。 This book was amazing。 It is amazing to see people of color as the main characters of children's books。 We need more of these books。 。。。more
LS Johnson
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The first book in a series， and I need the second one right now！ This one is fun， funny and so meaningful。 I love a book that is playful with words and allows the reader just a little bit more knowledge than the characters。
Kelly Riley
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In this illustrated chapter book from the incomparable Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third， we meet Portico Reeves， aka Stuntboy。 Portico is navigating challenges with a neighbor kid， his parents’ constant arguing， and “the frets” （anxiety） with the help of his best friend Zola and his not-so-secret identity。 Stuntboy is a fast-paced read with captivating illustrations。 Lots of kids will relate to the things Stuntboy is dealing with， and others will enjoy this unique window into Portico’s apartmen In this illustrated chapter book from the incomparable Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third， we meet Portico Reeves， aka Stuntboy。 Portico is navigating challenges with a neighbor kid， his parents’ constant arguing， and “the frets” （anxiety） with the help of his best friend Zola and his not-so-secret identity。 Stuntboy is a fast-paced read with captivating illustrations。 Lots of kids will relate to the things Stuntboy is dealing with， and others will enjoy this unique window into Portico’s apartment-living， multigenerational household。Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC to review。 。。。more
Anna
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After receiving a Merchandise Kit from Simon and Schuster for this book， I wanted to know what I was promoting to the kiddos。 This is my first Jason Reynolds book and I've been a fan of Raul the Third for a while。 Ten year old Portico Reeves lives in Skylight Gardens （a。k。a - the Castle， a。k。a。 - an apartment building） with his parents， gran，new best friend Zola and an interesting cast of neighbors。 His parents have begun separating and are constantly arguing about what items go with who as they After receiving a Merchandise Kit from Simon and Schuster for this book， I wanted to know what I was promoting to the kiddos。 This is my first Jason Reynolds book and I've been a fan of Raul the Third for a while。 Ten year old Portico Reeves lives in Skylight Gardens （a。k。a - the Castle， a。k。a。 - an apartment building） with his parents， gran，new best friend Zola and an interesting cast of neighbors。 His parents have begun separating and are constantly arguing about what items go with who as they're preparing to move into separate apartments and these arguments and this tension is hard on Portico， who suffers from "the frets" or anxiety。 Zola helps Portico with his anxiety with calming techniques like yoga and breathing。 But the title of the book comes from Portico's decision to become a super hero and his superpower is being a Stuntboy， who protects people from pain and harm。 There's more going on in this book but I think it all works。 One thing I really enjoyed about this book was that it's a middle grade book that looks at real-life issues like anxiety and parents separating but is comical and filled with energetic， creative artwork。 Nearly each page has something exciting and dynamic drawn on it and that really made a difference in reading this story。 This is a good one for less-confident readers。 。。。more
Jamie
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What can’t Jason Reynolds write？ This was so richly envisioned— the superhero tv show that Portico and Zola cut to， to the layer about anxiety and mental health， to living in a big apartment building， to the cast of characters， to the idea of realizing and reconciling with your parents’ divorce。 I loved the art by Raúl the Third， and I’m a big fan of his Lowriders to the Center of the Earth。 Highly recommended。
Ben Truong
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Stuntboy， in the Meantime is a graphic novel written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raúl the Third。 Not-so-secret superhero by day and kid from apartment 4D by day as well， Portico "Stuntboy" Reeves will need all his tricks to withstand the great threat facing his family and the anxiety that comes with it。Portico Reeves， secret alter ego Stuntboy， lives amid a lively， largely Black community in an apartment building in Skylight Gardens。 As Portico， he navigates tense interactions with bull Stuntboy， in the Meantime is a graphic novel written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Raúl the Third。 Not-so-secret superhero by day and kid from apartment 4D by day as well， Portico "Stuntboy" Reeves will need all his tricks to withstand the great threat facing his family and the anxiety that comes with it。Portico Reeves， secret alter ego Stuntboy， lives amid a lively， largely Black community in an apartment building in Skylight Gardens。 As Portico， he navigates tense interactions with bully Herbert Singletary the Worst， the stress of his ever-fighting parents， and his own anxiety。 However， as Stuntboy， his job is keeping other superheroes safe， so they can save the world and he definitely has his hands full watching out for the apartment building's various larger-than-life characters。 With him， along the way， is Zola Brawner， best friend for 163 days and counting。Stuntboy， in the Meantime is written and constructed extremely well – it is far from perfect， but comes rather close。 Reynolds' narrative gradually reveals the impact Portico's parents' impending separation is having on their deeply sensitive son even as he can't fully grasp what's going on around him。 Raúl the Third's illustrations are both dynamic and cleverly slapstick as Portico skillfully tumbles down stairs to prevent an older resident from falling or flops in front of his parents to momentarily stop them from fighting。 Superlative， action-packed art and cheeky narration combine to tell a story of emotional intelligence on a super-heroic scale while remaining consistently funny and undeniably thoughtful。All in all， Stuntboy， in the Meantime is a wonderful graphic novel about a boy， who finds a creative coping mechanism in this original tale that speaks to the heart。 。。。more
B
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Nope not for me。 To crazy， there is so much going on， graphics ， text and commercial interruptions。 I am glad that JAson Reynolds has written a book for younger reader， but not for me。
Vanessa
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4。5 rounded up。 I love everything Jason Reynolds writes！
Prudence Jarvis
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Another amazing book。
Jaclyn Hillis
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This is going to be a hit for the kiddos， but it was relatable for me too。 I love how Jason Reynolds tackles bullying， parents separating， and anxiety in a fun and understandable way。The illustrations were fantastic; and it was like a hybrid between an illustrated novel and a graphic novel。 The parts comparing their life situations to the Super Space Warriors （their favorite TV show） were the more graphic novel piece， and there were title sequences and commercials and everything！ I can’t wait fo This is going to be a hit for the kiddos， but it was relatable for me too。 I love how Jason Reynolds tackles bullying， parents separating， and anxiety in a fun and understandable way。The illustrations were fantastic; and it was like a hybrid between an illustrated novel and a graphic novel。 The parts comparing their life situations to the Super Space Warriors （their favorite TV show） were the more graphic novel piece， and there were title sequences and commercials and everything！ I can’t wait for book two。 。。。more
Elspeth
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Stuntboy is a work of art， a rare chapter book that’s funny， tender， clever， and visually beautiful， too。 Portico Reeves lives in an apartment building with his parents， his best friend， Zola， and an interesting and charismatic group of neighbors。 But Portico has two big problems: his nemesis Herbert Singletary the Worst also lives in the apartment building， and his parents have just announced that they’ll be moving to separate apartments， on separate floors。 To deal with these difficulties， Por Stuntboy is a work of art， a rare chapter book that’s funny， tender， clever， and visually beautiful， too。 Portico Reeves lives in an apartment building with his parents， his best friend， Zola， and an interesting and charismatic group of neighbors。 But Portico has two big problems: his nemesis Herbert Singletary the Worst also lives in the apartment building， and his parents have just announced that they’ll be moving to separate apartments， on separate floors。 To deal with these difficulties， Portico and Zola compare their problems to plotlines in their favorite retro space program， Super Space Warriors， and Zola gives Portico tips on breathing and relaxation from her mom， a meditation and yoga coach。 But Portico also goes a step further。 When his parents start arguing — and go into “the Mean Time” — he becomes Stuntboy， a superhero who performs elaborate stunts to cope with stressful situations。 It’s all incredibly entertaining， with cameos from fascinating neighbors like Mr。 Mister and the magnetic character everyone calls “Soup” — and wordplay so clever that even adults will laugh out loud。 The design is stunning， too: colorful and incredibly imaginative illustrations in a variety of styles。 （I was particularly fond of the retro-comics looks of Super Space Warriors — the SSW interludes looked truly cool。） Here， the words and pictures work together as equal partners， much like in a graphic novel。 It’s such a joy to read a book like this。 。。。more
Melanie Dulaney
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Like Reynolds’ Track series and Look Both Ways， Stuntboy: In the Meantime tackles serious life situations， in this case， parents separating and intense anxiety。 But this mixed format book is unique in it’s delivery style， with changes between traditional text with sketches， similar to a Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries book， and straight up super hero graphic novel panels。 Much like the format， the main character shifts rapidly from doing best friend stuff with Zola to super hero trying to s Like Reynolds’ Track series and Look Both Ways， Stuntboy: In the Meantime tackles serious life situations， in this case， parents separating and intense anxiety。 But this mixed format book is unique in it’s delivery style， with changes between traditional text with sketches， similar to a Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Dork Diaries book， and straight up super hero graphic novel panels。 Much like the format， the main character shifts rapidly from doing best friend stuff with Zola to super hero trying to step in the way of danger in order to protect those who live his apartment building and sometimes to an insecure and anxious middle grade boy who is trying to dodge a bully and figure out his parents’ fighting and moving into separate homes。 Portico is an optimist， seeing his not so fine apartment building as a castle with a great view and so many rooms however， his constantly bickering parents reveal the same mixed up feelings that anyone would feel， but the illustrations and the cut-always to the Super Space Warriors， Mater and Pater， keep the situation from getting too intense。 Adding in a bully who may end up a friend adds another layer of connection for readers in grades 4-6。 Reynolds’ book is free of profanity， sexual content， and any violence。 Instead， it filled with incredible art and a look at the toll that a struggling marriage can take on any child with a relatable and memorable character。 The plot allows for further exploration of the Skylight Gardens apartments and its inhabitants。Thanks for sending me a copy of this new middle grade book， Simon & Schuster/@SimonKids。 。。。more
Kathleen
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