by Jason Reynolds
Stuntboy, in The Meantime is a
heavily illustrated novel that also includes some comic strip sections, and the
writing and the art are both bursting with vibrant energy and fun. Portico
Reeves is ten and lives in an apartment building that he considers a castle,
which he loves because there are all kinds of different people with different
stories living behind all of the doors. His best friend, Zola, lives there, as
does his nemesis, Herbert Singletary the Worst, who constantly verbally attacks
Portico and Zola. Portico has a lot of anxiety, mainly because his parents have
decided to take two new apartments, one upstairs and one downstairs, and are
fighting a lot about what items each will take. Portico is a sweet, anxious kid
who desperately wants to protect other people from pain (his secret superhero
identity is "Stuntboy," who takes the dangerous falls for all the people around
him), but right now, his parents' marriage is imploding and he can't stop it or
take away their pain. Stuntboy, In The Meantime is silly and funny and sweet.