And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps

And Then, Boom! features a winsome protagonist who suddenly finds himself abandoned.

And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps. Nancy Paulsen (PRH), 2024, 244 pages

Readling Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

I just doodled a circle that became/ a planet in a galaxy where grown-ups act like grown-ups/ and do what they’re supposed to do,/ over and over again.

The world where I want to live.

Unfortunately, Joe doesn’t live in that kind of world. There’s never been a dad on his horizon and his mom sticks around only so long as she feels like it. His Grandmum (she’s from England, hence the “mum”) is the one stabilizing influence and Joe loves her dearly. But Grandmum’s health isn’t so good and she’s been struggling just to go to work. Joe’s beacon of hope is in comic books, where “Every story boils down to and-thens and BOOMS!” where “something happens that changes everything.” Whether good or bad.

The bad BOOMs start stacking up for Joe when Grandmum suffers a stomach aneurysm and massive hemorrhage. Mom appears, then disappears. Joe finds himself on his own, but afraid to tell anyone lest he disappear into the foster care system. “Now I know what it was like/ for the people of Krypton/ when their sun went away.”

Sounds grim, but Joe has a winning voice and some sharp observations that will have readers rooting for him. We’re also genuinely grateful when the BOOMs start going his way. He must learn to trust his allies and hang on to hope when there doesn’t seem to be much. It’s a hard-earned happy ending, but no less happy for that. And even though God, or any higher power, is missing from the story, there are no language or serious behavior issues.

Bottom Line: a warm, thoughtful story that charts sadness and loss without grimness.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Gary Paulsen is a good source for “boys on their own” stories. Maybe because that’s how he grew up. See our review of his memoir, Gone to the Woods, as well as his last novel, Northwind. And, of course, Hatchet. And by another author, How to Stay Invisible.  North to Freedom (starred review) is outstanding
• Review: Neglectful moms are a sad fact of life, also a factor in Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo and The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson.
• Review: Lisa Fipps also wrote Starfish, a 2022 Prinz Honor Book.

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