NOT REALLY BUDDIES

Buddy’s first day of second grade is filled with unwanted surprises.

Buddy Finn-Lee had thought that his teacher would be bird-watcher Jabari, but the new teacher, Ms. Maple, is someone no one yet knows. During roll call, nobody responds when Ms. Maple asks if Bea is present. Buddy’s pal Joey’s joke from first grade, saving a seat all year for a classmate who never appeared, seems worth repeating, so Buddy is slightly miffed when Bea turns up, late, full voiced, clad nearly all in pink, and ready to explain the blood on her shoe. (An injury from an encounter with a table: “Don’t worry. I’ve had stitches before. A lot of times!”) Bea, impulsive where Buddy is cautious, focuses on Buddy’s cowlick, trying to plaster it down with spit and later with mayonnaise. She is bold and resourceful, finding the custodian when Buddy gets stuck trying to hide between two urinals. Will Buddy ever adjust to his new class? Nicely pitched to the audience, this chapter book is full of the singular, buzzy energy and earnestness of second graders along with appealingly broad but not chaotic humor. Ms. Maple’s telling the students about the name her Filipino immigrant parents gave her makes for a poignant moment. Buddy presents Asian, like one of his two dads, in the lively cartoon artwork, while Bea is light-skinned, and the class is diverse.

Cheerfully fun and lighthearted, with a relatable protagonist.