A Schneider Family Book Award Winner
A National Book Award Finalist
A 2019 ALSC Notable Children's Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2018
A 2019-2020 Nebraska Golden Sower Award Winner
An Amazon Best Book of 2018
A Kirkus Best of Children's 2018
A New York Public Library Best Book 2018
A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book 2018
A 2018 Nerdy Book Club Middle Grade Winner
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2019 (9-12)
An Award-Winning Author
Mason Buttle is the biggest, sweatiest kid in his grade, and everyone knows he can barely read or write. Mason's learning disabilities are compounded by grief. Fifteen months ago, Mason's best friend, Benny Kilmartin, turned up dead in the Buttle family's orchard. An investigation drags on, and Mason can't understand why Lieutenant Baird won't believe the story Mason has told about that day. Mason and his new friend Calvin are relentlessly bullied, so they create an underground haven for themselves. When Calvin goes missing, Mason finds himself in trouble again. He's desperate to figure out what happened to Calvin and, eventually, Benny. But will anyone believe him?