CRICKET MAN

Kenny Sykes is new to the neighborhood. At first, it’s a slow summer: He spends his time taking care of his younger brother, listening to his sister go on and on about her upcoming wedding, swimming laps and saving crickets from the family pool—thus forming his half-serious identity as Cricket Man, insect-rescuing superhero. Things pick up as he makes friends who will attend middle school with him in the fall, and together, they learn to skateboard. Once school starts with the usual ups and downs, Kenny begins to notice Jodie, the gorgeous high-school junior who lives directly across the street. Of course, she’s totally out of his league, but the two form an unlikely friendship, and before long, Kenny realizes that it’s not only the crickets who need saving. Issues such as student privacy, depression and teen pregnancy are addressed, and while this is not one of Naylor’s major works, it is still engaging, pertinent and a good choice for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)