JUST MY LUCK

Kirby Heyborne's soft tones quickly define artistic, empathetic fourth-grader Benny Barrows. Benny's mother credits her youngest son with being the most compassionate member of the family, especially when it comes to handling his older brother, George, who is autistic. Heyborne evokes the gentleness of this tenderhearted boy and shows how Benny's vulnerable feelings intensify after his father's accident, the aneurysms that follow it, and Benny's belief that he's to blame. Benny's feelings seem particularly heartrending in light of a superficial schoolwide program undertaken to increase kindness. The book's sometimes heavy-handed messages are tempered by Heyborne's sympathetic depiction of a self-questioning boy who is honestly trying to understand his life's inner and outer complexities. S.W. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2016]