The Horn Book Guide

INTERMEDIATE FICTION

Benjamin, Ali

The Next Great Paulie Fink

361 pp. | Little | April, 2019 | Trade ISBN 978-0-316-38088-1 $16.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-316-38089-8

(2) 4-6 An offbeat rural school's seventh graders are obsessed with what happened to charismatic class clown Paulie, who hasn't returned for the new year. Reluctant new-kid Caitlyn judges a reality show–like competition to crown Paulie's successor. Sections narrated by Caitlyn are interspersed with interviews, emails, and text messages, which makes for a breezy read. Frequently laugh-out-loud funny, the novel captures the quirks and traditions of a small community.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2019