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Summary
Summary
From the critically acclaimed author of Waiting for Normal and All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook, Leslie Connor, comes a deeply poignant and beautifully crafted story about self-reliance, redemption, and hope.
Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard.
An investigation drags on, and Mason, honest as the day is long, can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day.
Both Mason and his new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, are relentlessly bullied by the other boys in their neighborhood, so they create an underground haven for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He's desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin and, eventually, Benny.
But will anyone believe him
National Book Award Finalist * ALA Schneider Family Book Award * 2019 ALSC Notable Children's Book * Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2018 * 2019-2020 Nebraska Golden Sower Award * Amazon Best Books of 2018 * Kirkus Best of Children's 2018 * New York Public Library Best Books 2018 * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books 2018 * 2018 Nerdy Book Club Middle Grade Winner * South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee * 2020 Colorado Children's Book Award Nominee * Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2019 (9-12) * 2020 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee * 2020-2021 Missouri Association of School Librarians Mark Twain Readers Award Preliminary Nominee * 2020-2021 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee * 2021 Connecitcut Nutmeg Book Award Middle Grade Nominee *
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-7-Calvin Chumsky, a brilliant seventh grader and the only friend of Mason Buttle, says, "The Universe is amazing. It knows what we want. And sometimes... it hands it over like a gift." Maybe so, but the Universe isn't kind to Mason Buttle. He is a large boy who has severe dyslexia and overactive sweat glands. He is plagued by two neighborhood boys who call Mason stupid and pelt him with lacrosse balls and mushy apples. One boy, Matt, not only mistreats Mason but beats up his own dog, who prefers Mason. Worse than the constant ragging is the memory of a tragedy that happened two years ago: Mason's best friend fell off a broken ladder to his death. Lieutenant Laird has hounded Mason ever since to remember more about the accident. Mason finds his comfort in his broken-down house, the secret hideout he and Calvin create, and a school room monitored by a caring social worker. Mason's family and friends have their own misdeeds and insecurities. Uncle Drum has sold off many acres of the family's apple orchards. Instead of working, he spends his days in a diner. Shayleen, a runaway, tries to fill her life with stuff bought on a shopping network. Connor expertly captures the camaraderie of Calvin and Mason, the overly permissive parenting of Matt's mother, and the suspicious attitudes of the townspeople toward Matt after the accident. The final line in the books says it all: "Knowing what you love is smart." VERDICT A poignant underdog tale that will resonate with many young readers.-Lillian Hecker, Town of -Pelham Public Library, NY © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this sensitively written novel, Connor (All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook) introduces a learning-disabled 12-year-old who will warm readers' hearts and earn their respect with his honesty and compassion. Mason Buttle may have trouble spelling words and be slow to understand some things, but he knows how to be a good friend. Ever since his best friend and neighbor Benny died in an accident in the Buttles' apple orchard, Lieutenant Baird of the police department has been badgering Mason with questions. Writing from Mason's point of view (including journal entries he composes using a speak-and-write computer program), Connor paints a vivid picture of Mason's world and the people who inhabit it: the grief-stricken grandmother and uncle who raise him, the neighborhood boys who torment him, and social worker Ms. Blinny, who provides a safe haven in her office. When Mason's new friend Calvin goes missing, Lieutenant Baird returns with more questions for Mason. Poignant and suspenseful, Mason's story crystalizes an adolescent boy's joys and fears as he comes into his own. Ages 8-12. Agent: Miriam Altshuler, DeFiore and Co. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Dyslexic seventh-grader Mason is grieving the death of his best friend, Benny, and is a victim of intense bullying. Lieutenant Baird of the local police believes Mason knows more than he's saying about Benny's death. When new friend Calvin goes missing, too, Mason is again under suspicion. Mason's voice is honest and true, and the multifaceted characters both enrich and propel the narrative. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Under a cloud of suspicion after the death of his best friend, a boy with a "trifecta of troubles" continues as best he can.Lt. Baird is sure seventh-grader Mason Buttle knows more about the death of Benny Kilmartin than the story he's told over and over. Now he's writing it, with the help of speech-recognition software in the school social worker's office (a process that is reproduced with unlikely accuracy). In a moving first-person narrative, Connor reveals a remarkably distinct and memorable character. Loyal and good-natured, Mason is large for his age, highly dyslexic, abnormally sweaty, and the regular target of bullying neighbor boys. He feels his emotions as colorsgreen for stress, shades of pink for happiness. There hasn't been much pink in Mason's life in the 16 months since Benny's accidental death, but now there's a new friend, tiny Calvin Chumsky, and the bullying neighbor's dog, Moonie, who prefers Mason. Using Mason's conversations with the detective and his voice-to-text storytelling, the author weaves the back story into a narrative of redemption chronicling his growing friendships. The climactic revelation reveals the gaps in everyone's understanding of the event and propels his struggling, white, apple-farming familygrandmother, unemployed uncle, and the stray, shopping-addicted young woman his uncle brought hometo make some needed changes. Connor's gift for creating complex characters extends to the supporting characters and makes this a compelling read. (Fiction. 9-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Life hasn't dealt 12-year-old Mason Buttle a winning hand. Since the death of his mother, he has lived with his grandmother and uncle Drum (who both suffer from depression). Also, his best friend, Benny, has died after falling from a treehouse an accident that Lieutenant Baird thinks is somehow Mason's fault. What's more, Mason is constantly bullied because of his learning difficulties and his size (he's the largest, sweatiest kid in seventh grade). A bright spot enters Mason's life, however, in the tiny form of his new friend, Calvin Chumsky. Together, they make a hideout in an old root cellar, but when Calvin goes missing, Mason is again suspect. Throughout this realistic problem novel, Connor's portrayal of Mason is spot-on, and the seventh-grader's honesty shines through as his greatest attribute. Laced throughout the story, and evident at the end, is hope for a brighter future, both for the entire family and the community. Reminiscent of Rodman Philbrick's Freak the Mighty (1993), Connor's novel provides a thoughtful look at human nature, resilience, and love.--Petty, J. B. Copyright 2017 Booklist