This book deftly addresses how long-time friendships change at the middle school level. Not many books address that from the point of view of boys, so there are a lot of students who will appreciate it. I loved the characters she built and know that kids will too.

I unexpectedly enjoyed this book much more than I thought I was going to when I began it! The Real Deal by Lindsey Stoddard is a middle grade, realistic fiction book that had me feeling all the emotions. Sometimes I was laughing aloud and soon after, I was nodding along with empathy at things the character was saying and experiencing.

In this story, twelve-year-old Gabe is navigating the difficulties of middle school and friendship. Gabe and Oliver have been best friends since they met on the teeter totter the first day of preK. Even though Gabe is a bookworm and Oliver is a sports nut, the boys have maintained a strong friendship through the years. But roadblocks crop up during this school year for Gabe: befriending a new kid named Reuben who joins their class but doesn’t speak, earning enough money for a potential backpacking trip in the wilderness, and understanding Oliver’s strange, new behavior.

Through these trials of adolescence, Gabe learns to stay true to himself. He uses advice and mantras from both his teacher and parents in various scenarios that help him follow his conscience. Gabe learns to follow his convictions while helping both Oliver and Reuben through their own tribulations. Divorce, tragedy, mental health, conservation of the environment, and bullying are topics that are introduced and deftly addressed within the storyline.

In addition to a compelling story, Stoddard’s writing is fantastic! I felt like she eavesdropped on kids and recorded their conversations. It was also fabulous to see boy friendships written authentically. Stoddard’s use of writing out Gabe’s inner thoughts provided deeper meaning throughout the story. The Real Deal is a story that every reader can relate to whether male or female.

5 stars for “The Real Deal” of a super book! Special thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great middle grade novel about discovering who you are in different situations.
Oliver and Gabe are great friends writing a graphic novel. I loved the mention of other favorites, like Dog Man. When a new kid Reuben moves to their school & he doesn't talk Oliver has to figure out what to do in tough situations where Reuben is being bullied.
This is a great look at discovering that you can be your own person even when your friends are doing something different.
A good middle grade read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

The Real Deal will not disappoint! In typical Lindsey style, the reader will make a connection with their characters and their stories. I loved the friendship of the main characters and the layers that that the secondary characters had kept me wanting me to know what was going to happen next. I can't wait to share this beautiful book and story with my students.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC. For fans of Lindsey Stoddard, you will love her latest book. This is another wonderful story of a friendship that starts at an early age and continues on into adolescence. When a new student joins Gabe and Oliver's class, he's not quite like everyone else. Although the two of them do not directly bully him, they also do not stand up for him. As the story progresses, this feels less and less comfortable for Oliver, and as he gets to know him, realizes that he's not weird at all. This story shows how it can be difficult to navigate uncomfortable situations and that everyone is carrying their own struggles that not everyone knows about.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this middle grade novel.

Gabe and Oliver have always had the best friendship. Gabe thinks they're as close as they could be, until he realizes that maybe Oliver hasn't shared everything with him, and Gabe starts to wonder what else might be missing. The addition of Reuben to their class has also added a new twist. Gabe knows that when Chaz makes fun of him it doesn't feel right or good, but he doesn't yet know what to do about it. Gabe learns a lot about himself and about friendship in this book, as do a few other characters, and I can't wait for readers to get their hands on this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of The Real Deal by Lindsey Stoddard. This book is fabulous! A story of friendship and finding your own voice. Gabe and Oliver have been best friends since preschool., when they shared a teeter-totter. They have been inseparable ever since. Now, however, things seem a little uncertain. Oliver seems to be pulling away. But in an effort to earn money, the two boys take on a mother's helper babysitting job of a set of toddler/preschool aged twins. Imagining these babysitting scenes put a smile on my face!

Meanwhile, a new boy, Reuben, has joined their class, but he doesn't speak. Ever. Chaz, the class bully, makes fun of Reuben and Gabe joins in the laughter despite the fact that it gives him uneasy feelings. Gabe has to figure out a way to stand up for himself and Reuben, when nearly everyone, including his best friend, Oliver seems to think that making fun of Reuben is OK.

I loved this book and it shouldn't be missed.

I absolutely loved this book, but kids will love it more. The description of that feeling you get when you know someone is doing the wrong thing, but you laugh because it feels like you should touched my heart and will resonate with middle school kids who also struggle with how far they should go to fit in.

Middle schoolers will also appreciate the recognition of their favorite graphic novels (Dogman, Smile, and Real Friends) and how they are "heavier than they look because the pages are thick with drawings."

Middle School students that can be found in any classroom are included in this story. The "bad" girl who is not really that bad, the class bully who is also the teacher's pet, the best friend with his own secrets and fears, and the new kid who is different from the rest of his peers.

Humorous elements mixed throughout keep a story that explores the social elements of middle school from being too heavy.

This book will make an excellent addition to any upper grade or middle school library.

The Real Deal will not disappoint! In typical Lindsey style, the reader will make a connection with their characters and their stories. I loved the friendship of the main characters and the layers that that the secondary characters had kept me wanting me to know what was going to happen next. I can't wait to share this beautiful book and story with my students. My favorite #MelissasGoldenLines were:
"And I'm also thinking that there's no such thing as leave no trace. Because we do. We leave traces on everyone we meet. It's just what kind of trace we leave that matters. Are we going to be a piece of plastic stuck in the branches where a bird used to make its next? Or are we a seed dropped so something new can grow tall and strong and add more oxygen to the world, making it easier to breathe?"

Heart warming story about longtime friends Gabe and Oliver working on a graphic novel for a class project when a new student, Reuben, joins their class. Their teacher tells the class Reuben doesn’t talk. Oliver invites Gabe to a back trip in the summer, and they boys need to earn money for supplies so they babysit two year old twins. They discover Reuben is the twins’ older brother. In school, a group of boys continually tease Reuben. Sometimes it seems as if Oliver doesn’t do anything to stop it. Gabe does nothing to stop it either and realizes it’s “what we’ve always done, we’ve lost our way.” Gabe knows people really need to listen to each other because everyone has their own burden to carry. In the end, Gabe knows to follow his heart and find the people you trust and who will support you. Can Gabe get Reuben to trust him so he’ll talk?