The Next Great Paulie Fink

Summary:

“When Caitlyn Breen enters the tiny Mitchell School in rural Mitchell, Vermont, she is a complete outsider: the seventh grade has just ten other kids, and they’ve known each other since kindergarten. Her classmates are in for a shock of their own: Paulie Fink–the class clown, oddball, troublemaker, and evil genius–is gone this year. 

As stories of Paulie’s hijinks unfold, his legend builds, until they realize there’s only one way to fill the Paulie-sized hole in their class. They’ll find their next great Paulie Fink through a reality-show style competition, to be judged by the only objective person around: Caitlyn, who never even met Paulie Fink. Who was this kid, anyway–prankster, performance artist, philosopher, or fool? Caitlyn’s quest to understand Paulie is about to teach her more about herself than she ever imagined.

Told via multiple voices, interviews, and other documents, The Next Great Paulie Fink is a lighthearted yet surprisingly touching exploration of how we build up and tear down our own myths…about others, our communities, and ourselves.” (Taken from the publisher’s website)

Review:

What I enjoyed most about this book was how it was told in multiple voices. With distinct characters and the set-up of a reality tv competition, Ali was able to allow the characters to tell their stories individually. And this format worked really well and didn’t require relying on a specific narrator. Which also fell into place as the class learned about Ancient Greece.

One of my favorite characters was Mags, the kids’ teacher. She’s the type of teacher every kid should get the chance to have at least once in their life. She was able to help the kids learn through including them in creating lesson plans and reflecting on Greek stories and mythology. Plus, she created a learning environment that was fun and included everyone.

I’ll be honest, the main character, Caitlyn was not my favorite middle grade protagonist. That being said, I appreciated that we got a close-up look at a kid who wasn’t just “the new kid” but who thought she had finally figured out middle school. Then she got dropped into a much more alternative school with a small class and a different social atmosphere. Essentially a bully in her old school, Caitlyn’s new school proves that the rules can change. And you have to be open to change as well or you might miss some pretty spectacular memories. As you read the story, you see Caitlyn grow and adapt to her new surroundings. She realizes that change is inevitable and it’s what you do with it that counts.

Final Thoughts:

In The Next Great Paulie Fink, the students of the Mitchell School learn what it means to tell a story, to change the narrative, and to learn about themselves in the process.

Important Info:

Title: The Next Great Paulie Fink
Author: Ali Benjamin
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
Page Number: 368 pgs.