May 1, 2024
A sixth grader struggles with feelings and survival strategies after his single mom disappears. Hank is more or less used to being left to cope with caring for himself and his 3-year-old sister, Boo, for short stretches--but when their mother vanishes for a week, the power goes off, and the landlord serves an eviction notice, it's crisis time. What's the right thing to do? Along with sensitively exploring Hank's rough emotional landscape as his mother's whereabouts remain unknown, Choldenko offers a moving portrayal of the powerful bonds that connect him, an unwillingly parentified child, and the younger sibling who means everything to him. Throwing themselves on the mercies of strangers with emotional vulnerabilities of their own earns at least temporary respite but also leads to brushes with the foster care system, the threat of being separated, and, most wrenchingly, the necessity of making yet another consequential choice; finally, his sorely missed mom abruptly reappears. Meanwhile, not only does a neighbor's extended Latine clan give the two white children their first glimpses of life in a bustling household, but Hank gets a warmer welcome than he was expecting from the diverse classmates at his new middle school. These experiences, plus the fact that Hank and Boo are both strongly appealing characters in their own different ways, will give readers cause for intense relief when the author throws the pair a lifeline at the end. Moving and perceptive: Hankies are a must. (Fiction. 10-13)

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May 1, 2024
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* A week after his mother abandoned her children, 11-year-old Hank is trying to cope with little sister Boo and worrying about their dwindling food supply, their lack of money, and the landlord's threat of eviction. Hank is close to Boo, a bright, affectionate toddler. Missing her mother, whose alcoholism has disrupted their lives once again, Boo clings to her brother, who finds creative ways to distract and amuse her. Eventually, he confides in their deceased grandmother's friend, Lou Ann, who agrees to let them stay with her for a week and kindly extends the period but eventually calls the child welfare agency. After the kids' mother returns, Hank learns a hard lesson and painfully realizes that he can't count on her. Fortunately, he finds a new home in an unlikely way. From the first line of Hank's engaging first-person narrative to the last, he comes across as a reliable, sensible boy who is aware that his options are few and is determined to make the right choices. And when the opportunity comes, he seizes it. The writer best known for the series beginning with Al Capone Does My Shirts (2004), Choldenko speaks from the heart in this compelling story of Hank and Boo's found family.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 27, 2024
Eleven-year-old Hank Hooperman’s mother has been missing for a week, forcing him to stay home from school to care for his three-year-old sister, Boo, and scavenge for coins to buy food. But when the power is shut off and the apartment manager threatens eviction, Hank seeks out his late grandmother’s old friend Lou Ann Adler. With Child Protective Services’ oversight, Hank and Boo stay with Lou Ann, who runs a day care and readily accepts precocious Boo, yet her ambivalence toward Hank causes him and Lou Ann to clash. Though he’s aware of his mother’s past incidents of drunk driving and abandonment, he is defensive of her (“My mom is a good mom”) and yearns for a reunion. As days turn into months, Hank bonds with an adult neighbor over basketball and makes friends at his new school, unaware that his continued search for his mother could carry disastrous consequences. An author’s note from Choldenko (One-Third Nerd) describes the book’s emotional core as reminiscent of her own life; that personal connection makes for a gut-punch tale that is by turns heartbreaking and hopeful. Hank, Boo, and Lou Ann read as white. Ages 10–up. Agent: Elizabeth Harding, Curtis Brown.

Starred review from June 1, 2024

Gr 5 Up-Hank Hooperman and his little sister Boo have been waiting for their mom to return home for a week. Without any money and eviction looming over their heads, Hank finds the name of an emergency contact on a permission slip and takes Boo there in an attempt to find his mom. Once there, he meets new friends and adults but is left with the constant worry of his situation and about whom he can trust. Readers will empathize with Hank's anxiety over uprooting his life, worrying about where his mom is, where he will end up, and whether he and his sister will be able to stay together. Hank is a good kid, but he's not sure if he is good enough for his temporary guardian to want to keep in her home. Additionally, he's dealing with all of the friendships, first crushes, and school issues that middle school students face. When his mom is finally located, Hank is faced with an impossible situation that upends an already complicated life. Various representations of family dynamics, friendships, social workers, and the foster system come through in a realistic way. VERDICT Hank's story will break readers' hearts before putting them back together again. Highly recommended for all middle grade collections.-Ashley Leffel

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