Is there anything Jason Reynolds can't do?!? Young readers are going to love Stuntboy, aka Portico Reeves. Portico lives with his parents and Gran Gran in apartment 4D. He loves his apartment building, his friends, superheroes on T.V., and the real superheroes in his life – his mom and dad. Unfortunately, his mom and dad are fighting—all the time. Fighting about who is going to take what to their new apartments since Portico's parents are separating. Portico deals with his worries about this, the building's bully, and his "frets", by developing his superhero powers and becoming his alter ego Stuntboy. With the help of his best friend, Zola tries to save his superheroes and cope as best he can. This is a much-needed book to address mental health in boys.

Reynold's text is enhanced by Raul the Thirds fantastic illustrations. This is a wonderful team and I hope to see more of Stuntboy in the future! ( )

Two friends dealing with bully issues, anxiety and divorce. ( )

In this illustrated novel, Portico Reeves, the main character, lives in an apartment building that he treats like a castle. His best friend lives one door and a half a way and he engages with many of the other inhabitants in unique ways throughout the story. He lives with his parents and his grandma and struggles with anxiety (or "the frets," as his grandma refers to it). "The frets" are becoming a bigger part of his life as his parents argue and negotiate around their impending separation. To deal with "the frets," Portico develops an alter ego, Stuntboy, who often saves others from uncomfortable situations by stepping in and doing one of his "stunts." For example, he might throw himself on the ground to distract his parents from fighting over something. The entire book is organized in episodes rather than chapters, as Portico's alter ego is inspired by a television series. Each episode includes the adventures of Portico's daily life with his best friend (Zola), his villain (Herbert), his family, and the many other characters that live in their apartment building. Jason Reynolds wrote a heartwarming and thoughtful tale that shows a young person navigating tough family and life situations and learning to cope with his emotions, as well. ( )

This book combines traditional prose with graphic novel elements to tell the story of Portico, a boy with severe anxiety. He takes on the superhero persona of “Stuntboy” to combat his anxiety, believing that his stunts work to let the real superheroes do their jobs. The story also describes his parents separating and divorcing but doesn’t resolve by the end. Part of a series. Recommended for upper elementary school through middle school. ( )

Super illustrations, hand drawn text and a collage-like quality make this book very fun to engage with. I also loved the episode breaks and the theme music treatment as each story begins. I didn't really know what to do with the lack of resolution each time Stuntboy interrupted his parents' arguments, and the storyline meanders all over the place -- which is innovative and engaging, but also deeply unsatisfying to me as a reader. Note, I am not the intended audience, so take what you will from that. I loved the exuberance of life in the building, Zola and Portico's awesome friendship, and the meditation/yoga ideas to help manage the frets. It's not the kind of book where the hero comes out empowered and manages to change the world; it is the kind of book that teaches kids how to endure what they can't change, and how to use their imaginations to take care of themselves. ( )