"Lalo Lespérance Never Forgot" by Phillippe Diederich captures a very specific piece of time during the initial weeks of the COVID lockdown. Lalo is a young, middle school boy whose mother works in the hospital. Because she is working so much, Lalo and his older brother spend a lot of time at their neighbor's apartment. When the kids aren't on virtual school, they are exploring the area around their apartment. They stake out neighbors and build time machines.

I loved that the book was set during COVID lockdown and how a lot of the dialogue switched seamlessly between English and Spanish. However, there were too many characters and plot lines to keep up with. I thought I might understand when I got to the end of the book why different characters were included, but ultimately, many of them not needed for the plot.

It’s so great to see another story set during the pandemic. This book will take you far even though Lalo can’t hardly leave his building. Stick around to find out what happens!