This is a book that has a place in my heart because its so unconventional and it celebrates a group of middle schoolers that are deemed different from others, but no less unique. They attend a school in rural Vermont, the school is on an estate and includes a barn and goats. Caitlyn Breen is the newest student, one of eleven in the seventh grade. When she arrives, everyone is clamoring about the absence of former student Paulie Fink, the class troublemaker, and it is now Caitlyns role to host a challenge to find the next great Paulie Fink. I found myself laughing out loud reading this title, but there are passages that I highlighted that deal with identity, and learning how to be brave when everything changes too fast.

This book is funny and full of rich and unique characters. It manages to be relatable without following all of the middle grade tropes that we see so often in juvenile fiction.

The Next Great Paulie Fink is, in fact, hardly about Paulie Fink at all; or it is all about Paulie Fink? Paulie Fink disappeared from a small school right as The New Girl enters. Paulie Fink is lauded like a Greek god, and the class is lost without him, so they band together and host a reality show-style competition to find their next Paulie Fink. The Next Great Paulie Fink is an exploration of friendship and social dynamics of middle schools every where. While this title may not win any awards, it's a solid book and an easy recommendation to any reader looking for a school or friendship story, with some insightful morals to boot.

Caitlyn moves across the country to Vermont for her mom's new job, finds herself at a new school, which is actually in an old mansion, and is appointed by her new classmates to find The Next Great Paulie Fink, the legendary classmate who has not returned for the new school year. Paulie was unfiltered and outrageous, and the multiple voices of his classmates relate not only his famous his exploits, but how much they really miss him. Humor in middle grade titles is hard to come by, so don't miss this wonderful romp through seventh grade, and all the grades the came before.

Initially, I wasn't a fan of this book. I found Caitlyn frustrating. She constantly judges everyone and everything around her. Admittedly her new school is atypical but she seem determined to be unhappy there, unwilling to try out anything new. The constant negativity is grating. Things start to turn a corner when her classmates call her out on her attitude. And it was around this time that I realized I had become emotionally engaged in the plot. I cared about these characters and their school, their growing understanding of bullying and the difference between a person's true self and their public front. These are largely standard topics for middle grade fiction but are masterfully handled by Benjamin in a story enjoyable to read and re-read.

It takes a while to really get into this story of Caitlyn, who has started the year at a new very quirky school, the same year that Paulie Fink left. Paulie Fink is legendary and he left without saying a word to anyone, which only makes his mythical status rise. We see all this from Caitlyn's perspective, as she tries to figure out what it's like to be in a school where her class is only 12 kids who have all been together for years. Turns out, having that small a group changes the dynamics. You can't have the cool kids versus the nerds because you don't have enough kids.

Instead, they wind up having a reality competition to find the "next great Paulie Fink," which Caitlyn runs since she didn't know him. That part leads to lots of interesting interviews and deep dives into everyone's back story which is very interesting. Most of the kids get to have some sort of depth, and there's a nice twist at the end. It's definitely a great book to read with a class in middle school to discuss some of those really hard things you have to deal with at that age.

Maybe kids will enjoy this more than I did. I just found the story moved pretty slowly and all of the connections to Greek mythology felt really forced. There were tons of moments where I thought to myself, “a kid would never say that.” It all just fell a little flat for me. But I did find myself caring about the characters and was intrigued by the mysterious Paulie Fink, so it did have its merits.

When Caitlyn starts school at the small village school in Mitchell, Vermont all anyone can talk about is Paulie Fink - the class prankster, the leader, the legend. With the threat of the school closing and the desire to shake things up the other students decide to hold a reality competition to find the next great Paulie Fink. But are our memories of people always accurate?
This was a lot of fun - good commentary about friendship and what we are remembered for. I really enjoyed this.

What I enjoyed most about this book was how it was told in multiple voices. With distinct characters and the set-up of a reality tv competition, Ali was able to allow the characters to tell their stories individually. And this format worked really well and didn’t require relying on a specific narrator. Which also fell into place as the class learned about Ancient Greece.

One of my favorite characters was Mags, the kids’ teacher. She’s the type of teacher every kid should get the chance to have at least once in their life. She was able to help the kids learn through including them in creating lesson plans and reflecting on Greek stories and mythology. Plus, she created a learning environment that was fun and included everyone.

I’ll be honest, the main character, Caitlyn was not my favorite middle grade protagonist. That being said, I appreciated that we got a close-up look at a kid who wasn’t just “the new kid” but who thought she had finally figured out middle school. Then she got dropped into a much more alternative school with a small class and a different social atmosphere. Essentially a bully in her old school, Caitlyn’s new school proves that the rules can change. And you have to be open to change as well or you might miss some pretty spectacular memories. As you read the story, you see Caitlyn grow and adapt to her new surroundings. She realizes that change is inevitable and it’s what you do with it that counts.

Who really knows who Paulie Fink is? Who really knows who anyone is? Using Greek philosophy and reality TV show philosophy a group of 7th graders discover just who they really are.