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The Next Great Paulie Fink

Written by: Ali Benjamin
Narrated by: Cassandra Morris, Zach Villa, Cameron Bowen, Adam McArthur
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Publisher's Summary

In this highly anticipated second novel by the author of the award-winning, best-selling The Thing About Jellyfish, being the new kid at school isn't easy, especially when you have to follow in the footsteps of a classroom prankster like Paulie Fink.

When Caitlyn Breen enters the tiny Mitchell School in rural Mitchell, Vermont, she is a complete outsider: the seventh grade has just 10 other kids, and they've known each other since kindergarten. Her classmates are in for a shock of their own: Paulie Fink - the class clown, oddball, troublemaker, and evil genius - is gone this year.

As stories of Paulie's high jinks unfold, his legend builds, until they realize there's only one way to fill the Paulie-sized hole in their class. They'll find their next great Paulie Fink through a reality-show-style competition, to be judged by the only objective person around: Caitlyn, who never even met Paulie Fink. Who was this kid, anyway - prankster, performance artist, philosopher, or fool? Caitlyn's quest to understand Paulie is about to teach her more about herself than she ever imagined.

Told via multiple voices, interviews, and other documents, The Next Great Paulie Fink is a lighthearted yet surprisingly touching exploration of how we build up and tear down our own myths...about others, our communities, and ourselves.

©2019 Ali Benjamin (P)2019 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

A ParentsMagazine 30 Best Kids' Books of 2019A LAPL Best Books of 2019A NYPL Best Books of 2019A KirkusReviews Best Children's Books of 2019
A PublishersWeekly Best Books of 2019
A PublishersWeekly Most Anticipated Children's Book of Spring 2019
An Amazon Best Book of the Month for April 2019

* "Genuinely original, the novel offers thoughtful perspectives on friendship, accepting change, and the many rewarding guises of storytelling, as well as a fully gratifying ending that the characters don't see coming."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"There are...a lot of children who might not only benefit from this book but also find themselves deeply moved by it."—New York Times Book Review

* "A story with massive heart... A book to make readers think, question, reach, laugh, and strive harder."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

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