Zack Delacruz

May 11, 2015
Anderson’s debut children’s book stars sixth-grader Zack, who has perfected the art of being invisible in school—until he surprises himself by standing up to the class bully, José, also known as El Pollo Loco. Zack also finds himself forced to work with José on a fund-raising campaign: if the sixth graders sell enough candy bars, they will be allowed to attend the middle-school dance for the first time. Zack, who is also dealing with his parents’ recent divorce, is a sympathetic narrator, and Anderson spiritedly renders the voices and personalities of preteens, many of Mexican descent, in a blue-collar section of San Antonio, Tex. It’s somewhat hard to believe, however, that many sixth-grade boys would be motivated by the prospect of a dance, so when the fund-raising takes an unexpected twist, the sense of urgency is not especially credible. And annoying as El Pollo Loco is, he’s basically harmless, which strips the bullying issue of potency. While less than compelling, the story does trace Zack’s maturing and his class’s bonding to a pleasantly satisfying finish. Ages 9–13. Agent: Roseanne Wells, Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.

May 1, 2015
The hot topic of middle school bullying is tackled by a San Antonio sixth-grader trying to get his class dance funded. Zack Delacruz has never stood out from the crowd; really, he's never tried to. He's been comfortable coasting along as a middle school nobody. Subtly inspired by an anti-bullying assembly, Zack makes the mistake of standing up to the school bully, Jose, by defending Janie, a movie-obsessed fat girl who spits when she talks. The fallout from this interaction results in Zack's landing on the fundraising committee for the sixth-grade dance-with Jose. After this, the novel focuses a lot more on the fundraising endeavors than the anti-bullying rhetoric, which is unfortunate, as the quest for funding just fails to capture the imagination. The book seems divided between wanting to address the serious problem of middle school bullying and to rise above the after-school-special qualities inherent in a problem novel. The result is a story that lacks any genuine pathos. There's a lot of style here: seemingly every character is assigned a cute nickname, and Zack's narration is certainly proud of itself. But the substance is an afterthought. Even at a brisk 170 pages, there isn't enough story to actively engage readers, and the lack of any subtext makes this an unsatisfying read. Forgettable. (Fiction. 10-14)

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May 1, 2015

Gr 3-6-Zack Delacruz prefers to stay in the background. He knows that being noticed will only lead to trouble. After a school assembly on bullying, Zack decides to stand up for a fellow classmate and in the process gets roped into being the lead fund-raiser for the school dance (if he and his classmates sell enough chocolate bars, they'll be allowed to attend the dance for the first time). Zack goes from flying under the radar to being the center of attention. Things go well until someone eats several of the boxes instead of selling them, leaving Zack to pick up the pieces. Though characterization is light, Zack's class is a diverse mix of students. Zack is a relatable narrator and embodies the middle school experience. The steady pace makes this novel a solid pick for reluctant readers, though some of the descriptions of Zack's anxieties seem to drag on. VERDICT An additional purchase for libraries looking to add more middle grade realistic fiction.-Kristyn Dorfman, The Packer Collegiate Institute, Brooklyn, NY

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