The best middle grade book I’ve read in 2024!

Hank and his little sister, Boo, are faced with an impossible reality: their mom left a week ago and never came back. Using his wits and limited resources, Hank gets Boo to safety and they begin to build a new life together. But when things take an unexpected turn, tough decisions lead to tough consequences.

This is a story about hope, found family, and knowing that there isn’t joy without heartbreak along the way.

I can't stop thinking about this book. Hank has had to grow up far too quickly, when he is handed a tough-luck sandwich from his mom. This middle grade book has all the feels and touches on some great issues (foster care, homelessness, empathy).

Eleven-year-old Hank does his best to care for his little sister, keep them fed, stay in school, and simply survive. This book is 4.9 stars. The title didn't become obvious until way too late in the novel and while the addition of Hank's mom (finally) showing up is necessary for the resolution, it seems forced and the scene moves quickly, which makes it seem a bit underdeveloped.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC! I will definitely be recommending this book!

Hank wasn't overly concerned with his mother's random disappearance - it's happened before and she always comes back - until the landlord starts pounding on the door with eviction threats. Between the realization they are soon to be homeless and there is no food left, Hank has no choice but to take his baby sister to the person listed as an emergency contact on one of his school forms - a person Hank has never met. When Hank and his sister, Boo, show up at Lou Ann's house, they are greeted with resignation. Lou Ann is a reluctant "emergency contact," but agrees to help Hank and Book for a few days only. As the days stretch in to weeks, and Hank desperately searches for his mom, he can't help but notice the comfort of a stable home environment. When Hank's mom shows up, he is faced with difficult choices.

Choldenko knocks this one out of the park! One of the best upper grade books I have read! As an adult, my heart breaks for the responsibility Hank feels forced to accept. I truly. hope there for very few readers who can identify with Hank's situation, but I know deep in my heart that will not be the case. I hope to see this book on multiple state reading award lists.

Meet Hank, a very mature eleven year old. His responsibilities include, being the sole care giver for his three year old sister they call Boo, (Bridget) and everything involved in living. Their mother Geri is out working, socializing, or getting high and drunk. Then, mama doesn't come home for a week, and things get desperate. Hank is truant from school, and they are out of food. There’s no more coins in the couch cushions to buy something to eat. Now the landlord is banging on the door and says that they will be officially removed from the apartment tomorrow.
Well this 11 year old uses his wits and decides to visit the only emergency contact he can find… someone named Lou Ann. Her name and phone number are filled in, on the emergency contact line, his mama wrote on his field trip form.

He later learns, Lou Ann was a friend of his grandmother's. His grandmother passed away recently, which has taken away needed support. Hank locates his mother’s bus pass, packs a few things and heads to Rancho Renato. Lou Ann is of course suprised to see two strange children on her doorstep. But since she runs a day care from her home, and was his grandmother’s long time friend, she agrees to help them. Celia, who works with Lou Ann several days a week, was an aquaintenance of Hank's mother and knows a little bit about her character. CPS is called and everyone works to find Geri, because the service’s goal is to keep families together. Celia's brother, Ray, lives next door. Ray is a computer programmer who works from home. Hank and Ray hit it off and Hank starts to spend a lot of time with Ray and his dog, CPU. This is good because Lou Ann likes little kids but not so much teenagers as she refers to Hank even though he’s only eleven.
It seems mama has disappeared, maybe for good, so Lou Ann arranges for Hank to start in the local middle school. Sensing Lou Ann’s dislike for older kids, Hank goes out of his way to do whatever he can to make her happy, especially since Boo is thriving under her care. Boo is learning numbers and letters and even gets potty trained. School is surprisingly, a positive experience for Hank. The kids are nice to Hank. Ana in particular takes a liking to him, and invites him to her birthday party. Hank displays excellent skills in basketball and the coach at school notices him and asks him to try out for the team. Can life be good again?

But then there is his missing mama always in the back his mind. After all he does love her and knows she loves him and Boo.

The characters in this story are so well portrayed, especially little Boo and Hank. And don’t fault Lou Ann. She’s in her sixties and doesn’t feel equipped to raise a preteen.
One of the the best parts that Choldenko mentions in the end notes, is that the kids at school are accepting of new kid, Hank, even when he can't tell them everything about his life. They’re kind, understanding, and help out when they can. There are no bullies! Even Tadeo, Ray's nephew who is jealous of Hank for several reasons, is nice to him.

But living with Lou Ann will not be a permanent situation. Will mama come back and if she does will she be fit to care for two children and herself?

As a reader/reviewer of a great deal of middle grade/YA novels, this is hands down, my favorite of 2024.

I think Choldenko does such a great job digging into the very complicated feelings in a variety of situations. In this case, the feelings are super complicated as Hank's mom has disappeared for a week, leaving Hank to care for hist 3 year old sister Boo. It's not surprising, except it's long. Hank is always caring for Boo as mom needs help. But they have nowhere to turn as Grandma Mae died last year. Eventually, Hank risks it all to find the person his mom wrote as an emergency contact on his field trip form.

There's social workers and foster care discussions. There's the struggle of being a large boy who looks like a teenager even if he's only 11. There's stopping being a parent to your sister--and always remembering how and that it's your responsibility. It's handled very well, there are some major issues, though the ending is quite happy (but still believable).

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy, this was a joy to read.

“How am I supposed to pull myself together when my whole life is falling apart?” This is a story of big messes, big mistakes, and a boy struggling to hold his family together when his mom doesn’t come home. Every child needs a big brother like Hank.
Hank does everything he can to take care of his toddler sister, Boo, but in the end he is just a kid. A kid who enjoys basketball and birthday parties, and loves his mom. How can you love someone, even when you can’t rely on them?

This book is about the power of second chances. “Sometimes even good things are tough to get used to.”

A perfect middle grade window, mirror and sliding glass door book.

An absolutely outstanding book by Gennifer Choldenko. Hard to read at times because it is so heartbreaking, but impossible to put down. YA readers and beyond will love Hank and his little sister Boo from the very first page. They'll be worried for them, cheering them on, and praying for a good outcome in their awful situation. When Hank and Boo's mom takes off and doesn't return, Hank knows he has to do everything in his power to protect his sister and make sure he and Boo are safe and taken care of. Hank learns to use basketball as an outlet for his frustration, he finds people he can trust to support him, and he does all he can to make sure his treasured little sister is well taken care of. You will LOVE this book!

Hank begins to worry about his mother not coming home when the landlord comes to evict them. He decides to take he and Boo (his little sister) to a friend of his deceased grandmother, Lou Ann. She decides to take them in until they can figure out where is mother might be. Lou Ann ends up calling the authorities and getting temporary custody. She enrolls Hank in school and he starts to make friends. He meets the neighbor Ray and his dog. Things start to look up and Hank finds out where his mom is-jail, then rehab. His world really turns upside down when his mom shows up at school to pick him up. Unfortunately, Hank makes a huge mistake and tries to correct it before it’s too late.

Wow! This was quite a book. I found it hard to put down and felt myself rooting for Hank throughout the book. I wish the book was actually a little longer and more was written about his school friends and school life. I’m glad I had a chance to read this book!!

Higher than 3 stars, but not quite 4.

I enjoy Choldenko's writing. I'm a fan of the Al Capone books. I like the historical bent on most of her work. This realistic story about an 11-year-old boy trying to hold his life together when his mother doesn't return home is better than average, but still not a home run. The beginning does it's job well. It sets up the story of Hank's challenging life, trying to care for his 3-year-old sister when his mom abandons them for days on end. This time is different. It's been a week. There's no money for food. He has no relatives. No dad. No grandma. The emergency contact name on his field trip form becomes his only hope.

Lou Ann turns out to be a friend of his deceased grandmother. She and her neighbor, Ray, step in to provide care until their mother can be found. She enrolls Hank in school where things go surprising well. He makes friends and is encouraged to try out for the basketball team. But Hank still desperately wants to find his mother. When she shows up, in the oddest of circumstances, his judgement goes out the window. He makes a decision Lou Ann just can't forgive.

Unfortunately, there's a lull in the middle of the book where I kind of just wanted it to be over. My attention started to wane. It became a bit ho-hum. Nothing really exciting going on. Then his mother entered the picture unexpectedly, re-energizing the plot. Hank is a great kid. Everything works out a bit too nicely for a kid in this kind of situation. That detachment from a true reality left me feeling disappointed. I have found books by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, Jennifer Richard Jacobson and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley to be more convincing.

My wife talks about the parentification she grew up with because her parents just..weren't being parents during her childhood and she was the oldest with two brothers, and how much that affected her. Having these types of stories exist for readers is so important. I fell in love with Hank "Pooperman" and his story.

Hank is an eleven-year-old boy trying to take care of adult responsibilities. He is worried about making mistakes, though he is just making it through! When his mom fails to return for over a week, he finally decides it's time for him and his little sister, Boo, to find adult help. I loved Hank. I loved his relationship with Boo, I loved his persistence, and I loved his enthusiasm. As a reader, I found myself rooting for Hank, and feeling his feelings. I love Gennifer Choldenko's ability to make characters come to life, to make them feel like your own family and friends!

I've read at least a dozen books this year that fit the criteria for the 2024 Newbery medal, but this is the first title I would put on a short list for next January's Newbery -- yes, it's that good. I was rooting for Hank from the very first chapter when his mom didn't get home and he was left to figure out how to care for Boo, his two-year-old sister. As the days drag on, Hank doesn't have any family to turn to, so he ends up on the doorstep of his emergency contact, the best friend of his recently passed grandmother. Lou Ann takes him in, but her help comes with lots of changes and questions. Hank himself begins to question the meaning of family as his life becomes more and more challenging. Yes, he makes mistakes, but he's hard on himself, and you just know he deserves a better hand than the one he's been dealt. This book is not a light read, but it's one to cherish.

After his mother has been gone for a week, eleven-year-old Hank and his toddler sister Boo are forced to seek out the stranger listed as their emergency contact. But with Lou Ann’s help comes social workers and a new school, and Hank worries he might have made a huge mistake.

I don’t read much middle grade nowadays, but I was intrigued by this book because I haven’t read any middle grade book dealing with foster care and parentification before. The author’s note about her own brother’s experiences only added more depth and meaning to the story that followed.

I was immediately sucked into the story of Hank, who feels that he must do everything to look after his sister Boo and has trouble trusting the new adults who have come into his life and try to take that responsibility away from him. I enjoyed reading about how Hank slowly starts to build a life for himself in his new home despite the unstable foundation it rests on. The search for his mother kept me engaged, as well as his dawning realization that his life with her was not really safe or normal.

However, I wish at times that we got a deeper glimpse into the lives of the others that Hank meets, especially his new friends at the school. We get some inkling of motivations for how they treat Hank as far as adults such as Ray and Lou Ann, but the way the kids immediately hang onto Hank and pull them into their circle, while endearing, felt somewhat unrealistic. I wished we’d seen more of how their friendships became stronger.

When Hank's mother doesn't come home for a week he needs to find a way to take care of himself and his little sister, so he goes for help to a family friend he's never met. As social services get involved and Hank is faced with the reality that his mom may not come back and he and his sister could be separated he gets more and more worried he made the wrong choice. A powerful book about family and Hank is a great character.

This was one of my favorites of the year so far. Hank’s relationship with his little sister, Boo, is so endearing. Abandoned by his mother and forced to take matters into his own hands, heartbreaking things happen and heart-warming relationships help heal.

This is one of the best books I've read in years. I sympathized for Hank the entire time and absolutely adored his connection and bond with his little sister. I loved his journey and the ending of this book had me in tears. It showed what many kids have to go through - growing up quicker than they should!

Hank’s mom has been gone for a week and when the powers goes off and he hears they may be evicted. he and his little sister, Boo, decide to take a bus to grandma’s friend Lou Ann. Lou Ann lets them stay there as the next door neighbor, Ray, says he will help Hank look for mom. They don’t find her and as days pass Hank is allowed to go to the local school. Child Protective Services comes and says Lou Ann says they can stay there a little longer. Hank is liking his new school, making friends, and getting into basketball. One day Hank’s mom shows up at school unexpectedly to take Hank. They leave and he gets Boo from Lou Ann without telling her about mom. Something happens though and Hank and Boo go back to Lou Ann’s. Will Hank see his mom again? Can Hank and Book stay with Lou Ann?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

A long-time fan of Gennifer Choldenko, I was really looking forward to this book, and am thrilled that I was not disappointed. This book is alternately heart-breaking and heart-warming. I needed a few tissues for this one, but I so loved this story, and can't wait for it to hit shelves in June.

A hauntingly beautiful story that will leave Hank in your mind long after you turn the last page. Gennifer Choldenko writes the kind of story students are going to line up for: one where all adults aren’t kind and don’t make good choices. Hank and his little sister Boo have been abandoned by their mom. After a week alone they make their way across the city spending 10 hours traveling to find a woman they’ve never met who might just lead them to the family they never knew they deserved. A must purchase for libraries.

Hank’s mother is missing, and he has to stay home from school to take care of his three-year-old sister. They are able to last a week before they run out of food, and have to go out and find help. He finds the name of a family friend that his mother once used on a form for school, and takes a bus to her house, and appears at her front door, with his baby sister in hand, hoping she can help him.
LouAnn, the friend of his grandmother, takes him in, in her memory, but she doesn’t like teenagers, as she calls Hank, even though he is only eleven. Then begins his search for his mother, with the help of Hand, the next door neighbor. They look up hospitals, morgues, and jails. They visit old friends. All the while he makes sure the Boo, his baby sister, is taken care of and loved.
And always hanging over his head is the fact that child protection services can take him away at any point if LouAnn decides she has had too much of him.


This is both an uplifting and total tear jerker. Of course we hope everything will turn out in the end, but it pulls at your heart strings as Hank tries to find his mother, because even though she has abandoned him, she is still his mother.


The author said that she based the story on her own experience of mentally checked out parents, as well as other stories of kids that have had to take responsibility for their younger siblings.


Very caring character that I found I connected with right away. And yes, he does make mistakes, as it says in the title, but they are kid mistakes, that anyone could make, though behold himself at a higher standard.


Any book that makes me stay up past my bedtime and has tears running down my cheeks in the last quarter of the book has got to be a good book. And this book did that.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 11th of June 2024.