Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books

Summary:  Portico “Stuntboy” Reeves loves living in a castle, which is how he thinks of his apartment building.  He knows just about everyone in the building, including his neighbor and best friend Zola, and likes just about all of them, with the notable exception of bully Herbert Singletary the Worst.  When Portico’s parents announce they will soon be living in two apartments and start fighting over dividing up their possessions, Portico starts getting the frets, which is what he calls his anxiety.  He and Zola deal with this by imagining themselves as superheroes. Cartoon panels recap episodes of their favorite TV show, Super Space Warriors, which bear an uncanny resemblance to the Reeves parents’ fights.  When Portico finally figures out what’s going on with his family, he feels split in two, but his friends–including Herbert Singletary, who turns out to be not so bad after all–help him get through.  272 pages; grades 2-6.  

Pros:  I could scarcely contain my glee when I first heard about this collaboration between Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third, and I am happy to report my expectations were met.  The text and the art work together beautifully, and I’m sure this appealing and highly relatable book will not spend much time lounging on anybody’s library shelves.

Cons:  There’s clearly going to be a sequel, but the ending felt unnecessarily abrupt.