![]() ![]() Still, Ben is a character kids will root for, and he’s surrounded by family and friends who help him see things will be okay, a message that may comfort readers facing similar circumstances. Gephart ( Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen) leavens the sadness with bathroom humor, but there’s a disconnect between the lowbrow humor and the heavier elements of the plot. This is a profoundly sad story about a boy made to carry a heavy burden that ends, mercifully, on a hopeful note. Still grieving over her mother's recent death, Amy Silverman is not happy about moving from Chicago to Buckington ('Borington'), Pa., to live with her uncle above his funeral home. A contest buff, he pins his hopes on winning a $10,000 prize for the best new slogan for a brand of toilet paper. This clever story about friendship, loss, and bowling shoes by Gephart (Lily and Dunkin) traces how two miserable middle schoolers strike up an unexpected friendship. ![]() ![]() Benjamin, however, is a mensch, determined to keep the promise he made to his dying father that he would take care of his mother. Then, the landlord posts an eviction notice on their apartment door. His father’s death left the family saddled with medical bills, his mother loses her job, and his grandfather, Zeyde Jake, arrives unexpectedly to live with them, displaying pronounced signs of Alzheimer’s. Benjamin Epstein, 12, is having an epically bad year. ![]()
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