The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade, by Jordan Sonnenblick. Scholastic, 2017. $22.99 ages 10 and up

"The Bee sent me out into the main office to wait, which was a good thing, because I hadn't actually called my mother. Once, Aunt Cat had made me memorize her number in case of an emergency. But ever since the time my mom flipped out on her, I had never called my aunt in a crisis. Today, though, I had given in. It was a pretty big risk, because Cat was as wild as her name ...

Lucky we are that Maverick has a sense of humor to keep his story from taking the reader down. His life is filled with those things we all fear ... bullies, middle school, physical abuse, his mother's alcoholism and ever-changing workplace, lack of friends, school administration - and even the school nurse. Reading it made me sad, while giving me great empathy for a young man wanting to do his best to make things better during his sixth grade year. So, there were times when I cringed and times when I laughed out loud. That is what makes it such a great read aloud for any middle grade classroom.

Maverick begins the year thinking he is going to change things. He is going to be a hero. He will keep the plastic sheriff's badge his father gave him on his person at all times, and step in when someone smaller needs help. He wants to emulate his father, who died while helping others in Afghanistan. There are few people smaller than he is! Each time he tries to help, he ends up getting in trouble with The Bee, the rules-oriented, commander-in-chief, terrifying (or is he?) vice principal. His visits to The Bee's office begin on Day One, and things slowly go from bad to worse for him.

The secondary characters are well-drawn and add depth to Maverick's heroism. Jamie and Bowen, who have been bullying him for as long as he can remember don't see the error of their ways until late in the book. He tries to make friends with the even smaller Nate, and only causes further ostracism. His mother is unable to take care of him because she can't take care of herself. Her drinking touches every part of Maverick's life, and he doesn't know how to help her. The school nurse is no help ever - offering Lysol spray for any cut or bruise while providing some comic relief in a dark, yet humorous, story. Thanks to his hamster and his very supportive Aunt Cat, there is goodness in his life.

This is a book that looks at many issues seriously; Maverick manages to make us see them through his own satiric lens. His first person voice is authentic, courageous, funny, and endearing. You will not soon forget him, or his story.  If you are wanting to up empathy and kindness in your classroom, it's a must read.

"So you see, schools are really good at sorting us out. By the time you get to sixth grade, everybody knows who's smart, who's athletic, who's good at music, who's good at art, who's rich, who's poor ... and on and on. There's no hiding anything for long. If the teachers don't expose you, the kids will."