BRIANNA BANANA, WORST SURPRISE EVER

What’s meant to be a happy day turns into something far more complex thanks to an unexpected substitute teacher.

After spotting her teacher writing her name on the board as the next day’s Helper of the Day, Brianna (mocked by almost everyone as “Brianna Banana”) comes to school decked out in her favorite outfit. But she’s greeted by a substitute teacher named Miss Dee, who knows nothing of the class’s Helper of the Day traditions. Brianna also astutely realizes that Miss Dee is new to her occupation, a fact made quite clear as the sub responds to her students with a mixture of anxiety and uncertainty. Meanwhile, Brianna responds to casual bullying with rage and, occasionally, physical confrontations. It’s a testament to Button’s skills that despite Brianna’s repeated poor choices, she’s engaging and sympathetic—the kind of kid you root for. In the end, Brianna wins over both Miss Dee and readers. Along the way, the author reveals even more about Brianna’s parents’ breakup (something Brianna is either blithely innocent or willfully ignorant of). Ogawa’s gentle black-and-white art helps to temper the protagonist’s more caustic side. Brianna presents white, while her class is diverse.

Big feelings and deep breaths abound in this deft portrayal of an unlikely hero.