MINN AND JAKE

Tall Minn and small Jake are the Mutt and Jeff of fifth grade. Each one is desperately seeking a true best friend, but neither knows quite how to go about it. Minn is enamored of worms, lizards, and the like, while newcomer Jake cannot abide them. There are some misadventures with lizard catching and worm eating and a practical joke and dare that go terribly wrong, but somehow a friendship grows. Wong tells the story in free verse that is only partially successful. At times it’s charming and moving, conveying the two children’s insecurities and awkward attempts at understanding each other. But the use of the immediate present tense often renders the language stiff. Côté’s black-and-white sketches add a nice touch, but do little to flesh out what is essentially a very slight work. (Fiction. 8-10)