This was a surprisingly wonderful book! I didn't know what to expect at first, but I loved it. I love how Lincoln gets into his writing and the friends he makes as well as tying in so many other social issues. The elderly, poverty, escaping an abusive relationship, homelessness, and so much more. I will definitely be adding it to my library collection!

"Bravery...[is]...Facing Off With the Truth"

Lots going on here, and it's all good. On one hand we have the first person tale of Lincoln Jones, a funny, observant, generous, and big-hearted eleven year old who's dealing with problems way beyond his full understanding. On the other hand we have the related tales of dozens of people who fall within Lincoln's orbit and who each have their moment on the page as Lincoln watches them and wonders. Then we have a powerful underlying message that forms a theme and frame for the entire story - how does one come out of his or her hiding place and face the real world and the truth? Finally, we have a layered and sensitive and deeply perceptive bildungsroman that demonstrates that novels of "formation, education, culture, and coming-of-age" can be set in middle school if the author is sufficiently skilled.

And that's partly it in a nutshell. This is a remarkably well crafted tale. I first read Wendelin Van Draanen when I encountered her first Sammy Keyes book. Sammy was a thirteen year old heroine in that light, funny, detective book. But after seventeen volumes we got to watch Sammy grow up, and each book showed a bit more depth and insight until Sammy was a fully fleshed out and compelling character. I guess authors go through growth spurts, too. Anyway, from that I moved to "Flipped", which is a he said/she said book sketching out a first young romance. Van Draanen showed remarkable range in writing the girl's view and the boy's view of the same interpersonal events, and that book demonstrated to me that Van Draanen has a fine and exquisitely calibrated sense of how young persons think and act and feel.

This book struck me as a carefully crafted gem whose facets display all of the many and various influences that shape a kid, for good or ill. We learn about Lincoln's Mom, his family situation, his social and economic condition, his approach to authority, his ability to blend in or stand out, his childish obsessions and his mature yearnings, his mystification regarding "complicated" girls, and so on and on. The book is carefully crafted to appeal to its target audience, from brief snappy chapters to fast pacing to relatable hijinks to reflective bits of calm between the fictional storms.

Is the Lincoln character almost too good to be true? Sure. Are Lincoln's observations occasionally well beyond what we could expect from an eleven year old? Sometimes, sure. Does everything wrap up a little too neatly? You bet. Do events fit together and dovetail a little too smoothly? Of course. But this isn't "The Sorrows of Young Werther"; this is a book for middle graders that will entertain, educate, inspire, and teach. It is also drop dead funny, (not Young Werther's strong suit), and sly and wicked in a Tom Sawyer-ish way. I'm not sure how you could find a better or more entertaining book for a middle grade reader looking to step up a bit to a tale of life, drama and coming-of-age. A great find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Lincoln is not exactly happy at his new school. The kids are not very friendly, his apartment is tiny and cramped, and he has to spend his afterschool hours at the nursing home his mother works at as a caregiver for Alzheimer patients.

When popular girl Kandi is perturbed by Lincoln ignoring her, she follows him after school and finds him at the home. Lincoln is convinced that his life is over, but soon he learns that he shouldn’t be so hasty in judging others, and he will learn to appreciate his mom’s hard work.

A lovely story.