Control Freaks

Gr 3-7–Black seventh grader Frederick Douglass Zezzmer (Doug) is an aspiring inventor and one of the most competitive students at Benjamin Banneker, a top STEM magnet school in Colorado. When Principal Yee announces a competition that forces students to not only compete in STEM subjects, but also in arts and sports, Doug is determined to win. However, he finds himself on a misfit team made up of his best friend Huey, a would-be magician afraid of taking center stage; Liam, a good-natured klutz from a family of athletes; the intense and universally feared Padgett; and Travis, aka “The Shark,” a diminutive future astronaut. On top of this, his biological father keeps ignoring Doug’s scientific ambitions, determined to turn him into an athlete like he was. Thomas uses wacky humor to deliver a light but laudable message about teamwork and friendship being more important than placing first. This collaborative ethos is reinforced by the structure of the book, which features distinct chapters from multiple characters’ perspectives (Padgett’s chapters are written as emails to her grandmother, while Travis’s are presented in verse). The characters are racially diverse and students who sign, use wheelchairs, and have service animals are mentioned. Characters also come from a broad range of family structures: Doug is from a blended family and has a stepbrother he initially detests; Huey has six parents thanks to multiple remarriages; Travis’s mother is dead; and Padgett lives with her grandmother in a motel.