Middle school is rough for Max, who is the tallest kid in class and fields misunderstandings resulting from his ADHD. But it gets so much worse when his best friends stop talking to him--one, because he's in a coma, and the other, for reasons yet unknown. How did they get to this point? Max, Joey, and Will--"The Three Brosters"--went into the woods one morning before school, and the last thing Max remembers is running away from something scary and leaving his friends behind. With the help of his sleuthing classmate and budding journalist Sam, the duo dives into the mystery of that night. The more they dig, the more things unravel until finally revealing the startling truth of how Will ended up in the hospital and who was responsible. Conklin expertly portrays Max's challenges, diving deeply into what it means to be accountable and not to carry guilt that isn't yours to own. Middle-grade realistic fiction and mystery lovers will gobble this one up.

If only Max could remember the night that left his best friend in a coma. Max, an 11-year-old who's almost 6 feet tall, doesn't know how Will, one of his best friends, ended up unconscious by the side of the road--but it's probably his own fault. If only he hadn't encouraged Will to go into the nature preserve with Max and Joey! If only Max hadn't run away! It must be his fault, because Joey won't even speak to him now. Even before Will's injury, Max had been having a rough time coping with his newly diagnosed ADHD and the recent growth spurt that left adults unfairly treating him like an aggressor. Now he has a detective asking him questions, Joey's older brother making veiled threats, and his mom fighting with his weird-but-awesome Uncle Cal. With the help of budding student journalist Samantha, Max tries to solve the mystery of Will's injury. Luckily, he has an assist from the ADHD--management techniques he's learning from his insightful therapist: anger management, apologizing, emoting, exercise, and not procrastinating. While the novel, whose main characters are White, sometimes wobbles between "whodunit starring a neurodiverse detective" and "therapeutic book about ADHD against the backdrop of an ostensible mystery," the rising danger to Max keeps the story gripping. Mystery and just a little peril make an absorbing vehicle for an exploration of ADHD. (Mystery. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Max is not in a good place at the beginning of sixth grade: his ADHD makes school a challenge; a recent growth spurt causes people to think he's an adult instead of an eleven-year-old; and -- thanks to an incident no one wants to talk about -- one of his friends is in a coma, and the others are avoiding him. Max worries that he's to blame for the injury that landed Will in the hospital, but as he starts to remember more about that night in the woods, he realizes someone is covering up the truth. With the help of his new friend Samantha, an aspiring journalist, Max follows clues to figure out what really happened. Max's life is also upended by a visit from his uncle Cal, a woodworker who lives out of his van. The two bond as Max helps Cal build a display case for Samantha's family's bakery, and Max gradually realizes that he might not be the only family member with ADHD -- and that his neurotypical sister and parents aren't as perfect as they seem. The mystery is pitched just right for a middle-grade audience, with high stakes and plausible developments. The plot is well paced, with a good balance between chasing down clues and moments of introspection. Max's ADHD is a constant presence, but one that doesn't overwhelm the story, and the book's many flawed but well-meaning adults add depth to the tween-driven action. Sarah Rettger July/August 2022 p.116(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 3--7--Eleven-year-old Max was looking forward to starting middle school as one third of the "Three Broskateers" along with Joey and Will. On the first day of school, Max has to write a letter to his future self; but he's stuck, acutely aware of the stares of the rest of his classmates as they wonder about his height. He had always been tall for his age, but he's now 5'10 thanks to a recent growth spurt, leading to hurtful assumptions. He's also hurt by Joey's sudden distance. He's not answering phone calls or texts ever since a night Max doesn't like to think about. Will is in a medically induced coma and all the adults want to know what happened when the boys snuck out. Max has no answers, but carries tremendous guilt. He also has ADHD. Sometimes the new strategies he learned with his therapist work--though sometimes his coping mechanisms are misunderstood, like when his new classmate Sam assumes he is staring at her instead of just spacing out. Max is immediately endearing with his careful, open, and thoughtful manner; readers will instantly relate to his pain. School and family dynamics are authentically portrayed. The suspense over what occurred slowly ratchets up as Max flashes back and gradually reveals events. His investigations with Sam, a budding journalist, are also believable. The adults surrounding Max are supportive and positive. VERDICT Readers will enjoy a first-rate mystery which as an added benefit subtly reinforces the practice of empathy. Highly recommended.--Brenda Kahn

Adeptly examining potential culpability around a mysterious tragedy's aftermath, Conklin's compassionate (Every Missing Piece) contemporary whodunit centers a kid managing his recent ADHD diagnosis. At the start of sixth grade in a New Jersey suburb, Max is struggling on several fronts: he's learning how to navigate his "inattentive type" ADHD; his close "Three Broskateers" bond with friends Joey and Will is disintegrating; and he finds being a nearly-six-foot-tall 11-year-old frustrating when adults suddenly expect him to act grown. The weekend prior to this book's start, he and Max pressure Will to sneak out at night and visit a graffitied railway roundhouse hangout deep in the woods. The next morning, Max doesn't remember the details of the night, but he recalls enough to feel extreme guilt, which is further heightened when he learns that Will is in a medically induced coma. Together with classmate and aspiring journalist Samantha, the narrator resolves to discover what happened--including his own part in the accident. Lightly touching on social complexities that range from interpersonal assumptions to the uncertainty and pain of changing relationships, Conklin's emotionally grounded mystery imbues Max's quest for truth with a perceptive portrait of a kid learning to understand his ADHD. All characters read as white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (July)