Publishers Weekly
★ 04/21/2014
Half-Korean 10-year-old Albie is being forced to switch from his private New York City school to P.S. 183. His new school gives him more specialized attention, but it also means dodging a name-calling bully and making friends other than his buddy Erlan, whose family is starring in a reality TV show. Because of Albie’s academic struggles (especially in spelling and math), his mother hires Calista, a college art student, to tutor and spend time with him. Albie isn’t happy about these and other developments, and his matter-of-fact observations are often both humorous and poignant: “I didn’t think the book was for babies at all, because for one thing babies can’t read,” he thinks after his mother tells him he’s “way too old” for Captain Underpants and hands him a copy of Johnny Tremain. Graff’s (A Tangle of Knots) gentle story invokes evergreen themes of coming to appreciate one’s strengths (and weaknesses), and stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward, taking on the world at his own speed. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephen Barbara, Foundry Literary + Media. (June)
From the Publisher
Rave reviews for Absolutely Almost!
" Graff’s gentle story invokes evergreen themes of coming to appreciate one’s strengths (and weaknesses), and stands out for its thoughtful, moving portrait of a boy who learns to keep moving forward, taking on the world at his own speed.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Achingly superb, Albie’s story shines.” - Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“…Albie comes through significant emotional hardship to a genuine sense of self-worth.” – SLJ, starred review
“Beautifully written, Albie’s story is accessible and dignified, with a gentle message that will touch any reader’s heart. Middle-grade readers will love the references to Dav Pilkey’s inexhaustibly popular Captain Underpants series, which has introduced so many children to the fun side of reading. A perfect book to share with struggling readers.” - Booklist, starred review
Diane Colson
Albie almost understands why he is starting fifth grade at a new school. It’s got something to do with the
things he can’t quite do, like subtract numbers inside his head or figure out the words in books.
Fortunately, Albie also gets a kindhearted new sitter named Calista, who can turn Albie’s sadness into
happiness simply through the magic of donuts. But even Calista can’t stop the mean kid at school from
calling Albie names or make Albie’s parents see how hard he tries in school. As every kid knows, some
problems take more than donuts to solve. Graff (A Tangle of Knots, 2013) creates a heartfelt portrait of a
child searching for nothing more than a safe place to thrive. The story is parsed into short chapters that can
stand alone as mini-stories, perfect for young readers who aren’t ready to tackle full pages of text. This
format is also well-suited to presenting the incremental steps of Albie’s evolution from bewildered victim
to hero of his own story. Beautifully written, Albie’s story is accessible and dignified, with a gentle
message that will touch any reader’s heart. Middle-grade readers will love the references to Dav Pilkey’s
inexhaustibly popular Captain Underpants series, which has introduced so many children to the fun side of
reading. A perfect book to share with struggling readers.
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-04-16
In a tale about not being good enough, Graff introduces readers to a young hero who struggles to measure up.Graff, whose A Tangle of Knots was on the 2013 National Book Award longlist, here gracefully fuses heartache with a gentle humor and candor. Life is stressful for Albie. Mom and Dad struggle to understand him, and his grandpa Park creates tension with his withering appraisal. When he gets kicked out of his pricey Manhattan private school due to academic shortcomings, Albie must deal with his parents' outbursts and his own dizzying emotions. This marks a turning point, though; with his move to P.S. 183, he gains an ally in a fellow outcast, the stuttering Betsy, and his new babysitter, free-wheeling art student Calista, listens to him in a way the other adults in his life do not. These relationships carry him through some improbable plot twists into understanding and self-acceptance. The prose is sparse, simple and conversational, capturing turmoil both internal and external perfectly: "Potential. Struggling. Achievement gap. [These are words] that make my dad slam his fist on the table and call my teacher to shout…and my mom to go out and buy fruit. When Mom comes back with strawberries, her face is always crystal clear. Not an almost-crying face at all. I used to really like strawberries." Achingly superb, Albie's story shines. (Fiction. 8-12)
