Carson is moving with his dad to a new city. He’s also moving from a private Montessori school to a public school. As Carson gets to know the kids in his new class, he’s especially struck by Wes, who is sometimes out of control, seems to be a liar, but has a buoyant spirit that makes him appealing as a potential friend. Is Wes as bad as many of the other kids think? Eight going on nine, Carson is contemplating other big issues, too, most notably, that at nine he thinks he’ll be too old to sleep with Moose, the stuffed animal that’s been with him since the day his dad adopted Carson as an infant. Mavis Jukes’s perceptive story features terrific social interactions among and between kids and adults alike. Carson’s warm relationship with his dad unfolds as they talk and do many things together. And Wes is one of several secondary characters whose depths are slowly revealed. Carson, a precocious writer, is part of a classroom community full of well-developed individuals. Jukes has deftly penned a cast of characters who feel real and who provide young readers with opportunities to make connections to themselves and kids they know in a story full of warmth and humor. (Ages 7–9)