The Awesome, Almost 100% True Adventures of Matt & Craz

Cartoons, text, and a hefty helping of magic convey the struggles of two best friends trying to find their place in middle school. Matt and Craz want to be cartoonists, but they can’t break into the clubby school newspaper. Hoping to up their game, they search online for better supplies and are mysteriously rewarded with a pen that can draw wishes into reality. After they inadvertently make a fortune by including a bag of money in their latest comic strip, their eyes grow wide with the new power they wield—ridding themselves of their nasty English teacher, for instance, by shipping her off to hang out with the pirates in her favorite book, Treasure Island. Silberberg (Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze) leavens the story’s nonsensical elements with several poignant subplots. Matt draws a cartoon that reunites his separated parents, but Craz’s wish for more shower time is less successful, erasing his four brothers and sisters. There’s plenty to chuckle at, even if the book, like its title, is a bit longer than it needs to be. Ages 9–13. Agent: Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary Management. (Apr.)