Matthew can't understand why his family had to leave New York and the Polk Street School for Ohio, but he knows he hates it. His new room--an unfinished attic--is awfully far away from everyone else. And no one has seen Barney since they started to unpack. Where could that cat have gone to?
Matthew can't even walk around his new neighborhood without being afraid. The kid next door, J.P., seems okay, but he's told him about the Wall. "You don't want to walk into him," says J.P Matthew's worried.
What will happen when he meets the Wall?
Grade 2-4 --Matthew Jackson has moved to Ohio, far away from New York and his friends at Polk Street School, and he doesn't like it one bit. But, since there's no turning back, he figures he'll go forward with "the New Matthew plan," which involves strength, intelligence, and lack of fear. Alas, he meets J. P., the kid next door, who warns him about "the Wall," the scariest guy in the neighborhood, if not the whole world--and his plan immediately looks shaky. The effect of moving on Matthew and his family is realistically described; these are people who are pretty good sports, but they have their limits. The surprise identities of J. P. and the Wall mix a little intrigue with the gentle humor. This is a little longer than the "Polk Street School" books (Delacorte), but will be gobbled up by those same readers who appreciate Giff's familiar, funny, and very human characters. --Carolyn Jenks, Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, NH
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