Kinda Like Brothers

Jarrett's mom takes in foster children. The latest arrival, toddler Treasure, comes with a surprise: her older brother, Kevon, will be sharing Jarrett's room. Relations between the boys are tense from the start, so Jarrett concocts an ill-advised plan to get Kevon's estranged father to take Kevon home. The myriad subplots threaten to overwhelm the narrative, but Jarrett's credible voice carries the day.

Jarrett has a complicated home life. The would-be seventh grader is technically an only child, but his mom takes in foster children; therefore they "get all kinda babies all the time." The latest arrival, toddler Treasure, comes with a surprise: her older brother, Kevon, will be sharing Jarrett's room. But that's only part of the problem. Jarrett, who is attending summer school to avoid repeating sixth grade, has an inferiority complex where Kevon is concerned: Kevon seems to be better than Jarrett at basketball, meeting girls, everything. Relations between the two boys are tense from the start, so Jarrett concocts an ill-advised plan to get Kevon's estranged father to take Kevon home. This leads to disaster, and Jarrett is called on to fix his mistake -- and save Kevon in the process. Booth has a whole lot on her plate here. The myriad subplots (including Jarrett's best friend Ennis's struggle to come out of the closet; an asthma attack that nearly kills Jarrett; and the rocky relationship between Jarrett's mom and her boyfriend) threaten to overwhelm the narrative, but Jarrett's remarkably credible voice carries the day. Jarrett is, admittedly, hard to love for most of the story, but his ultimate redemption is well earned and satisfying. Booth (Tyrell, rev. 1/07; Kendra, rev. 11/08) has won acclaim for her YA titles; her middle-grade debut shows that she can write for a younger audience as well. sam bloom