I often return to authors whose books have made it to my top ten countdown at the end of the year. In 2017, one of my favorite middle grade books was Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish. It is a debut novel I still highly recommended! Noting the author's name, I snagged The Next Great Paulie Fink off the shelves. It took a while to get into this one, but it was another excellent example of writing sure to appeal to more than just middle-schoolers.
Typical middle school angst with a unique twist: Caitlyn Breen is the new girl at school. Her primary difficulty isn't in being new, but rather in feeling like she cannot replace the individual the other students were expecting to walk through the door, Paulie Fink. So where is Paulie Fink? Who was Paulie Fink? Why does he have such a dramatic following? If she can't fill his shoes, then who can?
Benjamin has a knack for including scientific and philosophical tid-bits surreptitiously. I'm sure young people don't even realize how much they are learning in the process. Initially it wasn't compelling enough because I didn't care about the unknown Paulie Fink. But, it was well-worth slogging through the preparation for not only the big reveal but also for the heart of the conflict when the protagonist realizes she doesn't want to leave her difficult new home. As Caitlyn discovers who she is in this crazy equation, she also discovers much about the difficulties of fully knowing another individual. So, amid discussions about Greek philosophers and tending to kindergartners and goats, a bigger picture develops. I finished the book with the rare tender feeling I get in my chest when a book triggers deeper thought and emotional truth than I expected. This book is an excellent follow-up to Benjamin's debut smash.
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