Quagmire Tiarello Couldn’t Be Better
by Mylisa Larsen
Middle School, High School    Clarion/HarperCollins    240 pp.
9/24    9780063324664    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780063324688    $10.99

Quagmire Tiarello, so often misunderstood by his peers and the adults in his life, has a strong sense of loyalty and fairness but little tolerance for rules or authority. This companion to Playing Through the Turnaround (rev. 9/22) focuses on Quag’s life the summer before ninth grade—and, given the situation, his attitude seems appropriate. Longtime loner Quag is still processing the unexpected connections he made at the end of eighth grade, and when his crush Cassie shows up wanting him to join her team at the local YMCA’s ArtCamp to create sound effects for their radio play, he agrees in order to be near her. He also (accidentally) takes up bird watching. Meanwhile, his mother is “spinning” again, and while Quag has always managed her erratic behavior on his own, it’s worse this time. Everything spirals out of control until Quag finds himself trapped in the car with his mom, many states west of home and going too fast. His abrupt exit from camp adds frustration to the rapidly escalating tension as his circumstances shift from concerning to dangerous overnight. Interspersed throughout are descriptions of audio files collected at pivotal moments and interesting facts about birds that help develop the plot in thought-provoking ways. Moving and quick-paced, this novel gives readers valuable insight into a character who normally avoids such attention and thus sympathy too. An author’s note includes more information about the story with specifics about mental health challenges.

From the ">November/December 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.