Middle-grade books try to tackle the problems of growing up
Three new books tackle the tricky problems of growing up.
“Pablo and Birdy,” by Alison McGhee, illustrated by Ana Juan; Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (304 pages, $17.99)
An orphan and a non-talking parrot are the unlikely pair at the center of Alison McGhee’s new middle-grade novel “Pablo and Birdy.”
As a baby, Pablo washed up on the beach of the small town of Isla during a record storm. He was adopted by an islander named Emmanuel and the two formed a family, running a small shop catering to tourists. But as Pablo’s 10th birthday and another record storm approach, change is stirring on the island.
McGhee builds her story masterfully through a collage of voices, careful revelations about Pablo’s background, and a search by islanders and outsiders for the mythic Seafaring Parrot, which is reputed to hear every sound ever made, every voice that ever spoke, at the same time.
Isla is home to many refugees— fleeing convention, such as the Canadian baker Pierre, as well as those leaving poverty or political conflict, such as Emmanuel, who is a Cuban refugee.
As Pablo begins to question the stories the adults have told to protect him, he bumps up against their histories and their losses, and a deeper understanding of the surge of migrants arriving on his island.
“You were a someone before you were set upon the waves,” the town veterinarian and mother figure, Maria, tells Pablo. “You were a someone, and … someone wanted you to live.”
“Slider” by Pete Hautman; Candlewick (288 pages, $16.99)
Readers will immediately get the title reference in Pete Hautman’s new middle-grade novel “Slider.” And while the buy-em-by-the-sack burgers in the novel are renamed SooperSliders, Hautman’s story of a 14-year-old competitive eater leaves no doubt about the original reference.
David begins the novel with a dilemma. He’s accidentally bid $2,000 on his mom’s credit card to buy a half-eaten hot dog via an online bidding site, BuyBuy. His options for earning back the money are limited, so he jumps into eating competitions in a big way.
“Topologically speaking, you’re a meat donut—a hole surrounded by flesh,” says Derek, a smarmy frat boy who is dating David’s sister, as he tries to convince David to hire him as his manager for a cut of the winnings.
A second thread of the novel centers around David’s relationship with his autistic younger brother, Mal. While middle-child David feels pressured and ignored by his family, his relationship with Mal has the right dose of tenderness and exasperation, and offers an insight into a neurodiverse way of seeing the world.
It’s this thread that gives the novel its deeper moments, even as David competes his way to the Iowa State Fair showdown of competitive eating.
“Giant Pumpkin Suite” by Melanie Heuiser Hill; Candlewick (448 pages, $16.99)
Twelve-year-old Rose and Thomas Brutigan have grown up together with their mom and Gram, but most strangers don’t realize they’re twins. She’s gangly and driven, a rule-following cello and math prodigy several grades ahead in school. He’s short, hates reading and prefers to figure out answers at his own pace.
When their next-door neighbor, Mr. Pickering, falls down his basement stairs and breaks his ribs, he asks the twins to care for a mysterious seed in his basement. They find an envelope with instructions to water it three times daily and “Prepare to Be Amazed!”
By introducing two siblings, one ruled by logic and the other by intuition, the author gives young readers two very different characters who ultimately find they need each other to thrive.