THE PUTTERMANS ARE IN THE HOUSE

A big family comes together.

When Hurricane Harvey blows into town, the Puttermans are already dealing with a lot. Twelve-year-old twins Sammy and Matty were stars of their local baseball team, but when Matty leaves the field in the middle of a game, refusing to talk about why he’s quitting baseball, it shakes Sammy’s confidence as the only girl on the team and ruptures their close relationship. Their slightly older cousin, Becky, is half-heartedly preparing for her bat mitzvah but wishes her family would take her feline-inspired art projects more seriously. When the twins’ house floods, their family—along with their grandparents and elderly neighbor—move in with the other Puttermans since Becky and her parents have plenty of room (if less patience). Personalities, egos, and interests collide and cohere as the extended Putterman family learns how to navigate each other and their developing needs in this smaller space. Houston’s baseball team, the Astros, plays a large role in the story, and at least a passing interest in the sport will help maintain interest; the plot starts to drag halfway through, as the Astros’ trajectory stands in for more character- or plot-driven conflict. All main characters are Jewish and implied Ashkenazi, making the African American Vernacular English–derived title (a quote from the book’s only Black character) an unfortunate choice.

A busy blend of baseball, natural disasters, and coming-of-age.