by Ali Benjamin
First published 2020
Caitlyn Breen starts seventh grade at Mitchell School, where students tend goats and study ancient philosophers alongside just ten other kids in her grade. Everyone talks about Paulie Fink, a student who vanished before Caitlyn arrived. Some remember Paulie as a brilliant comedian. Others call him a troublemaker or bumbling fool. A few think he was an evil mastermind. All agree he was legendary. Caitlyn finds herself running a reality show competition to choose Paulie's replacement. Through interviews and challenges, she tries to understand this mysterious boy she never knew. Each task reveals more about her classmates and their memories of Paulie. The competition forces Caitlyn to question what makes someone heroic and whether people are ever what they appear to be. Most surprising of all, she learns truths about herself she never expected.
Genres: fiction, coming-of-age, mystery, contemporary
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mitchell School
368 pages · Paperback · Little, Brown Books for Young Readers