And Then, Boom!

Starred review from February 19, 2024
Fipps (Starfish) depicts situations of abuse, financial precarity, houselessness, and hope through easy-to-read verse in this elucidating work. Eleven-year-old Joseph Oak loves superhero comics and his
British-born Grandmum, whose “arms are like Captain America’s shield,/ protecting me,/ defending me.” In contrast, he views his mother as Thanos, “destroyer of worlds”; when she gets “The Itch” and leaves, consequences of her legal troubles result in Joe and Grandmum living in their car. Joe’s pragmatic voice explains, “I think I know a lot of things/ kids shouldn’t/ have/ to know” about how much his grandmother makes cleaning buildings and what their U.S. government–provided benefits cover (and don’t). Things look up when they find an affordable mobile home, but then Grandmum starts feeling sick. Writing from personal experience, as discussed in a foreword, Fipps employs resonant verse to portray Joe’s bleak reality as well as the bright spots he experiences due to the kindness of his best friends, who help him get food, and his teacher, who advocates for change in the school’s free meal system and opens a food and clothing pantry for students in need. Joe is depicted as white on the cover; other characters cue as racially diverse. Ages 10–up. Agent: Liza Fleissig, Liza Royce Agency.

March 15, 2024
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* Joe Oak is a sixth-grader with a love for superheroes and their "and then, boom" moments, when everything terrible can change in an instant. He also has a mess of a mom who takes off whenever she gets "The Itch," abandoning him for days, weeks, or months at a time. Luckily, Joe has an adoring grandmother, but another mom-related disaster leaves the Oaks penniless, and Joe and Grandmum lose their home. After a spell secretly living in their car, they gratefully find shelter in a local trailer park, but another calamity sees Joe left alone to fend for himself. Terrified of the foster system, a desperate Joe works to keep himself alive, his sanity intact, and his secret safe. But after a true "and then, boom" moment of his own, his life will change in a way he never imagined. As in her Starfish (2021), Fipps focuses on another young person on the fringe of their peer group, and the novel-in-verse narrative works beautifully here, invoking urgency and intimacy. Vivid descriptions of housing and food scarcity are intense and unforgettable, sure to spark empathy from any young reader. Though the story tackles heavy subjects, Joe is a wonderful companion, and there are also deep, dear relationships and an undercurrent of kindness that keeps hope afloat throughout. An exceptionally compassionate examination of existence on the edge.

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March 15, 2024
How do you cope with the unexpected moments that change everything in your world? Until what he calls "the Mess with Mom," sixth grader Joseph Oak and his widowed English grandmother were doing okay. Between the house Grandmum owned, the money she made cleaning houses and offices, their food stamp benefits, and Joe's free school meals, they were getting by. But about a year ago, when Joe's mostly absent mother got arrested, Grandmum put the house up for bail money. (Joe knows nothing about his dad.) Then Mom fled, and "BOOM!"--they were living in their car: "I felt like we were goldfish in a fishbowl." Grandmum and Joe find an old mobile home to rent, but then, "BOOM!"--Grandmum dies, and Joe's left on his own. Fortunately, he has two best friends who always have his back: Nick, whose mother struggles with depression and who's been in foster care, and Francophile Hakeem, who pays for Joe's convenience store treats. The verse format, combined with Joe's comic book and superhero metaphors, works exceptionally well at conveying honest emotion while maintaining a sense of humor and hope. Fipps doesn't sugarcoat poverty, nor does she romanticize it or treat it as a moral failing; instead, she provides critical representation to the many schoolchildren who are living in poverty. Joe's courage and individuality shine on every page. Most main characters read white; Hakeem is cued African American. A big, bold, engaging, and important story. (Verse novel. 9-13)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2024
Sixth grader Joseph Oaks claims he isn't a superhero (even if he did fly like Superman once): "I don't have any special powers -- unless / you count my ability to be invisible, / and to survive." Joe's mother gets what he calls "The Itch" and disappears for "days. / Weeks. / Months. / You never know when she'll take off / or when she'll come back." Thus, Joe "know[s] a lot of things / kids shouldn't / have / to know," including housing insecurity (Joe and Grandmum live in her car), poverty, and hunger. Things start to look up when they find "The Overripe Banana," a mobile home in King of the Castle Mobile Home Park. Once settled in, Joe considers his favorite possession, the quilt Grandmum made years ago: he understands that "Grandmum's the thread / holding her, Mom, and me, / separate pieces so different from each other, / together / as a family." Supporting characters, including Joe's teacher, his friends Nick and Hakeem, and the mobile home park's compassionate owner, are well drawn and vividly portrayed. As in Starfish (rev. 5/21), Fipps uses short lines, lots of white space, and an engaging first-person voice to carry the story. A fine example of how a novel in verse can be the perfect vehicle for getting inside the head of a character and creating empathy for what it's like to be him. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from October 11, 2024

Gr 5 Up-This latest verse novel from Fipps offers an equally heartwarming and heart-shattering story of how family is more than just the people one shares blood with, but the people who are there when life goes awry. Joseph Oak is an 11-year-old boy who lives with Grandmum and Mom-at least when Mom doesn't have her "itch" to leave. Life is challenging at times, but Grandmum always knows just how to make Joseph feel safe and taken care of, even with limited resources. When Grandmum is no longer able to care for him, Joseph endures struggles related to poverty and housing insecurity that no child should face alone. Thankfully the community around him of friends, teachers, and neighbors do what they can based on the tiny sliver of truth Joseph allows them to know. But even superheroes need help to handle the unexpected villains of life, whether it be a tornado, having enough food, or a bad tooth. This novel will resonate deeply with readers; Fipps creates a lyrical portrait of Joseph's honest vulnerability that evocatively empathizes with his situation. Scenes with his friends and neighbors tug on the heartstrings and the conversations feel authentic in nature. Touching on themes of poverty, abandonment, and food insecurity, this novel will inspire readers to support those struggling to get by. VERDICT An excellent realistic novel in verse for all libraries serving middle grade students.-Lindsey Morrison

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
Sixth grader Joseph Oaks claims he isn't a superhero (even if he did fly like Superman once): "I don't have any special powers -- unless / you count my ability to be invisible, / and to survive." Joe's mother gets what he calls "The Itch" and disappears for "days. / Weeks. / Months. / You never know when she'll take off / or when she'll come back." Thus, Joe "know�s] a lot of things / kids shouldn't / have / to know," including housing insecurity (Joe and Grandmum live in her car), poverty, and hunger. Things start to look up when they find "The Overripe Banana," a mobile home in King of the Castle Mobile Home Park. Once settled in, Joe considers his favorite possession, the quilt Grandmum made years ago: he understands that "Grandmum's the thread / holding her, Mom, and me, / separate pieces so different from each other, / together / as a family." Supporting characters, including Joe's teacher, his friends Nick and Hakeem, and the mobile home park's compassionate owner, are well drawn and vividly portrayed. As in Starfish (rev. 5/21), Fipps uses short lines, lots of white space, and an engaging first-person voice to carry the story. A fine example of how a novel in verse can be the perfect vehicle for getting inside the head of a character and creating empathy for what it's like to be him.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)