From the Publisher
[STAR] “[A] warm and funny debut… reminiscent of E.L. Konigsburg’s The View From Saturday” — Booklist (starred)
"Creative and hilarious.” — Kirkus
“Witty” – Publishers Weekly
“Thomas’s debut novel is a refreshing take on middle-school life—smart kids who know they are going places but learn to take care of one another along the way.” — Horn Book
“Being a middle school kid is… Complicated. And author J.E. Thomas knows how to show readers just how much is going on in a tween’s world, in a fun and engaging way. Rich characters, realistic portrayal of middle school life, and action surrounding a STEAMS Competition makes CONTROL FREAKS a perfect book for kids, parents, and educators alike.” – Fleur Bradley, author of Midnight at the Barclay Hotel
A People Magazine Must-Read of Summer 2023
“Thomas uses wacky humor to deliver a light but laudable message about teamwork and friendship being more important than placing first.” — School Library Journal
Kirkus Reviews
2023-03-14
Family, friends, and middle school are tough in ways this book intuitively gets and even celebrates.
At elite Benjamin Banneker College Prep in Denver, a new weeklong STEAMS competition—that is, science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, and sports—requires collaboration among teams of sixth through eighth graders. For Black seventh grader Frederick Douglass Zezzmer, losing is not even an option. His former professional football player dad has recently come back into his life with big sports-centric expectations for Doug. However, Doug intends to become the “World’s Greatest Inventor,” avoid summer sports camp, and legitimize his talents in his dad’s eyes. His nervous but optimistic best friend, Huey, is also part of comically named team TravLiUeyPadgeyZezz, a portmanteau of the students’ names. While Doug’s point of view is foremost, the novel’s narration shifts among many perspectives, giving a rich, panoramic view of how stressful yet ultimately rewarding these learning experiences are for the overachievers, the socially awkward, the kids with complicated home lives, and all those—young and old—who just need to see each other a little differently. The competition itself impressively brings readers into the week’s suspense while highlighting insights that many who have had to balance the demands of academics with the complexities of home life already know—and that Doug and his crew are finding out the hard way.
Creative and hilarious. (Fiction. 8-12)
