Ten-year-old Todd Foster narrates McNamee's (Hate You) poignant, convincing novel about a boy who has been promoted from a special-needs fourth-grade class, where he knew all the answers, to "the real fifth-grade." Here he faces some daunting challenges: he is afraid that he will flunk the "trial period" and be sent back to "Needs"; he must deflect the cruel taunts of his classmates (who call him "Mr. Retardo" and "Brain-Dead"); and he sorely misses his best friend, Eva, with whom he is afraid to be seen. Todd's earnest narrative reveals his heartrending determination to make the grade academically, his torn feelings about leaving Eva behind and his fragile self-esteem; his sense of humor belies his inherent intelligence ("Math hour goes on forever, like it's multiplying itself. I wish it would divide itself so it would be over already"). Scenes of Todd's family around the breakfast table or in front of the television balance tension with the laughter that cuts through it. In the end, Todd triumphs on several fronts, including academically and personally, but it's his journey to get there that readers will most enjoy. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)
