All the Noise at Once

Gr 8 Up–Despite a disastrous summer football tryout, when fall arrives, star quarterback Brandon convinces the coaches to let his younger autistic brother Aiden join the team. Aggravated by the updated roster, some players turn a post-game hangout into a fight, and when the cops are called, chaos ensues. In the aftermath, the white players walk away unscathed, Aiden is shaken up, and Brandon is wrongly charged with assaulting a police officer. As everything Brandon worked for begins slipping away, Aiden is determined to prove his brother’s innocence before the impending trial destroys their family. Davis’s debut novel beautifully tackles race, social justice, and disability through direct, candid character interactions. Aiden’s experience as a Black autistic teen will leave many people feeling seen while exposing neurotypical readers to an acute awareness of life they have never journeyed through. Aiden and Brandon’s relationship is dynamic, vulnerable, and healthy, leaning into the messy reality of love and guilt colliding. The resolution comes with the knowledge that sometimes there is no apology, even when warranted, and all one can do is move forward while hoping for better. Aiden and Brandon are Black.