Somebody on This Bus Is Going to Be Famous

Cheaney’s novel opens with a bus accident on a torrentially rainy night and the promise that one character will be famous by book’s end; she then rewinds nine months with news of a robbery in the sleepy Hidden Acres subdivision. But these early tinges of suspense wind up being peripheral as the novel unfolds. Over nine months, Cheaney (My Friend the Enemy) follows the stories of nine characters, fourth through seventh graders, who ride Mrs. B’s school bus, switching between characters each month. Bender is a complex bully living in the shadow of his older brother, Spencer is brilliant, Kaitlynn is full of big ideas, and Shelly hopes to become a singing sensation someday, among other regular riders. What the students have in common are dreams, insecurities, and a fascination with Farm Road 152, where Mrs. B stops the bus each day for reasons unknown. Readers glimpse the kids’ vulnerable, private worlds of thought as the novel unfolds, yet the narrative about their rocky roads to better understanding themselves can feel unfocused as it jumps around between characters. Ages 10–13. Agent: Erin Buterbaugh, MacGregor Literary Agency. (Sept.)