Thomas, J. E. Control Freaks. Levine Querido, 06/2023. 320pp. Fiction. Trade $18.99 978-1-64614-305-4. GRADES 5 – 8. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
Frederick Douglass Zezzmer (a Black middle schooler) arrives at his Colorado college prep school ready for class, only to be surprised with a school-wide team competition called STEAMS taking over for the week. As the main protagonist he naturally has strong reasons to win, but has all kinds of obstacles including lack of teammate cohesion, his recently returned father (a retired pro football player) who is pushing sports over brainiac inventing, and a step- brother who needs academic help. Zezzmer and his STEAMS team somehow end up working together, he makes new friends, and develops a better relationship with his dad and stepbrother. A broad range of issues affecting middle schoolers were deftly worked into the storyline, which is told by multiple characters (including his stepbrother, teammates, teachers, and even the principal). Reviewed from an ARC.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library