A Kid Like Me

A tween whose family is experiencing financial strain struggles to navigate his middle school’s constantly shifting social landscape in this realistic and uplifting graphic novel by Feuti (the Beak & Ally series). Kind, empathetic Ethan Warwick lives with his loving, supportive mother in the Millbrook Estates trailer park, next door to his best friend Ricky. With the first day of school imminent, Ricky plans to assemble a crew of “kids who are like us” so that he and Ethan won’t feel like they’re all alone at Franklin County Regional Middle School, which combines students from various elementary schools, including “mostly rich kids” from neighboring towns. But when Ricky befriends bully Dillon, his relationship with Ethan becomes strained. Ethan copes by making friends in the school’s Bio Battle gaming club. Simultaneously, he attempts to become more self-assured; acknowledging his mother’s financial constraints, he makes the most of his thrift store tees and hand-me-down sneakers, radiating confidence that nets him unanticipated notoriety. A muted color palette lends an air of nostalgia to the understated slice-of-life happenings, inspired by the creator’s own experience living with economic hardship, described in an endnote. Characters are depicted with varying skin tones. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)