I may have set my standards too high after reading the comparisons to New Kid, but this one didn't completely come together for me--it felt a little too spare, and the bisexuality storyline came out of nowhere and read like a box the author was trying to check rather than a meaningful addition to the story. The main character reads very realistically, though, and I found myself chuckling a few times at his relatable awkwardness.

Lonnie is dealing with some big emotions as he struggles with his parent's divorce. The simplistic illustrations do a great job of delineating Lonnie's emotions compared with the conversations he has with his dad.

I think this story is better suited for upper elementary than middle school--I don't think it will appeal to my students. The story ended rather abruptly and the side plot of Lonnie questioning his sexual identity didn't seem to fit the rest of the story.

E ARC provided by Netgalley

Lonnie 's parents have recently divorced, and he is struggling with the transition. He and his sister Nicole fight quite a bit, but do try to listen to their mother when she tells them to knock it off. One of the particularly difficult things about the divorce is after school pick up. Lonnie wants to be dropped off and picked up at a corner a bit away from school, because he feels like the other students have too many questions about why his parents no longer pick him up together. He tells his father that he is the only child in his class whose parents are divorced. At the beginning of the book, he doesn't speak to his father a lot as they shuttle back and forth; we see a lot of Lonnie's internal monologue with himself. As he and his father spend more time together, sometimes getting food or visiting the comic book store together, Lonnie shares more with his father about what is going on in his life. In addition to the divorce and the emotional difficulties this has caused for Lonnie, they discuss detentions that Lonnie has assigned for teasing a boy who was bullying him and the trouble he is in for forging his mother's signature. We see an exploration of how Lonnie and his father feel about the fact that one of the boys in his class, Ray, has two mothers. The father thinks this is not "the norm", which makes Lonnie worry, since he thinks he might be bisexual. The father prints out a pamphlet to share with his son, and they can discuss the issue. The topic of family therapy comes up as well. And the end of the book, Lonnie is comfortable enough with his family's situation to be picked up at the front of the school building.
Strengths: There are not as many books about tweens navigating life with divorced parents as you would think, so this fills a definite need. Urban's Weekends with Max and His Dad works for slightly younger readers, and Levy's The Jake Show for slightly older ones. Lonnie's internal dialogue is nicely show in outlines of the character or in monochrome drawings, and contrasts nicely with what he actually says to his father. The examples of acting out are intriguing, and the discussion of family therapy helpful to young readers who might be in a similar circumstance.
Weaknesses: At my school, it seems like more students live in single parent families than two parent ones, so it seemed unusual that Lonnie would be so ashamed that his parents were divorced. Also, since most of the book deals with emotional issues being discussed during car rides, this is a rather slow moving story.
What I really think: The most obvious read alike for Buckle Up is Reynold's Stuntboy books or Sharp's Just Pretend, but since this is a graphic novel, there is a built in audience for it no matter what the content.

I did not like this book. I thought the art in it was not good - it seemed like it could have been so much better.

Also, I really did not like the tell not show nature of it. Everything was on the surface. There was a weird misconception that the whole school was going to talk about his parents' divorce, which was weird, because aren't half the marriages in America ending in divorce at this point? Also, the dialogue was clunky and awkward. I felt like nothing happened at all. I finally put it down and didn't finish it.

I'm sorry - but this was a big miss for me.

Buckle Up is a book that so many MG readers need. It's a fast paced graphic novel about a boy dealing with the divorce of his parents. He's struggling to feel at home in two homes, he's struggling to communicate his feelings with his parents (mainly dad), and he's struggling to feel "normal" at school when he's the only child with divorced parents. Throughout this book you see how Lonnie works through big feelings with his family and figures out how to feel okay with all of the new challenges in his life. Great for upper MG readers! The world needs more books like this!

Buckle up provides a great example of relationships between individuals in a family when a bond has been severed. Love the way the illustrator shows the child’s real feelings and statements but shares what is expected.

Middle grade graphic novel about a boy struggling with his parent's divorce and his own sexuality. Funny and well done.

Intimate look at a young boy's experience s dealing with his parents' divorce. Middle grade readers will find the story relatable and a jumping point for meaningful discussion.

I wanted to like this book... I really did! I felt like this book went in too many directions and covered too many topics. First, the main character is dealing with the divorce of his parents and the embarrassment he feels at school, and then WHOOSH...about face! He's also dealing with his sexuality and other issues. It was just too unfocussed for my liking and I think kids will feel the same.

I honestly did not love this book. The story line seemed very flat and lacking. A lot of the story revolving around the child staring straight ahead in silence; and the parent as well. I felt a lot more could have been inserted to make the point while moving the story along.

As a huge fan of comics and graphic novels, this book was a 5 star book for me.

I loved how the focus of this book was having tough conversations, especially conversations that adults are not accustomed to having with their children. The accountability even the father had to take when Lonnie expressed certain emotions or thoughts about the things he’s heard his father say.

Even in the facial expressions and body language of this book, translated over so well. You could tell what Lonnie and his dad were feeling even without words.

This book is perfect for parents with children, especially knowing that they’ll grow up and these conversations need to be had at some point.

I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book.


I volunteered to read a copy of this ARC through NetGalley

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The cover drew me in. The boy sitting in the car with his seatbelt on spiked my curiosity. Writing the book as a graphic novel helped me visualize the boy’s thoughts while having conversations with his parents while being driven between houses.

The same phase of being young, gifted beautiful and black shows children that they can do anything instead of putting themselves down or by others.

The book addressed topics that wouldn’t otherwise be had other than the car. At times the car is a safe space to bring up questions about what is going on at school or with other friends/students.

The author made the book become a starting and off point for conversations families or a young person’s inner circle to have those discussions,

The last pages left it up to the reader to imagine the thoughts going through the boy’s head. I did enjoy that he drew pictures as an expression of his feelings. At the end the last picture shows the kids in the middle and the parents on either end. Families can be separated but still come together when it matters.

Lawrence Lindell’s graphic novel for grades 2-5 hits on divorce, exploring sexuality, name-calling and sincere apologies and, for the most part, all in discussions among those in cars. I don’t know how many kids will snap to the truth of that, but I can remember how much easier it was to tackle some subjects in the car with my children as we all faced forward than it was to sit face to face on a couch or dining room table! The topics covered by Lindell are important in the lives of families and need to be discussed openly and hopefully, before they become a serious issue, but the book felt a little contrived and like it was working too hard to be sure that some biggies were checked off the list of needed conversations. The realistic graphic panels were well-drawn and supported the dialogue between Lonnie, his sister and parents, however, I never felt terribly connected to any of them. Libraries with ample funds may want to consider this one for their graphic novel collections, but if money is tight, there are others that may meet the same needs. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence. Representation: Black family, one classmate has two moms, Lonnie is pondering his own sexuality and currently comes up with bisexual as the way he is feeling, one set of divorced parents.

Lonnie's family is changing. His parents have divorced and he and his sister are fighting a lot. He misses his dad and the way things used to be. The short rides to school just aren't the same. He's just trying to figure out life and how to navigate his new normal.

What I liked about this book: I think this book has potential to help out some younger middle grade readers who are going through a similar situation in their families. I liked that the family eventually pursues therapy together to figure out how to co-exist post-divorce. I also liked the fact that the bulk of the story takes place during car rides. It helps keep things moving.

What I didn't like: The artwork felt very unfinished and repetitive. I also didn't enjoy how it seemed that the story seemed to attempt to shoe-horn in any and all issues that could even potentially come up in a family (divorced or not) and it didn't always feel organic or realistic.

This book would be good for kids who's parents are going through a divorce, as it help them navigate their feelings. However, I think that is the only audience for this book.

I definitely will be recommending this book to my middle grade kiddos!!! These students are dealing with so many issues outside of the classroom and if I can send a book their way to help them deal with a difficult topic, I certainly will do so! I can see some of my students in the characters displayed in this book. I want them to know that they are not alone in dealing with the feelings that they have and hopefully shed some light on some answers to their questions. It’s so important for these students to see themselves in the books that they read. I want to than NetGalley for the ARC given to me. It was a great book and I want to share it with others!!!

The idea behind the comic is brilliant. First of all, graphic novels are so popular among middle grades. It allows a visual representation of emotions and thoughts without words being attached. This graphic novel also deals with real life emotions and problems that they may experience and not know how to deal with it themselves.

This book centers around a young queer boy and his relationship with his dad after his parents divorce. I really wanted to like the book, but it fell flat for me. There are a lot of pages where the characters are just staring ahead into space with quizzical expressions. They’re really cute and poignant, but it’s A LOT of pages of just that. The illustrations are gorgeous, though. I feel bad giving this book only 3 stars but it just didn’t give me the feels like I thought it would.

An excellent young graphic novel! Simple art and text conveys really deep and meaningful conversations.

Filled with important topics young people manage, this graphic novel invites readers on each car ride with Lonnie, the main character. With recently divorced parents, Lonnie is trying to figure out his new life.

Each page is designed with consistent panels and intentional colors and reactions. The car ride is the perfect setting as Lonnie has conversations with his dad about racism, sexuality, and divorce.

Recommended for middle grade students looking to relate to big changes and questions in life.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #RandomHouse children’s for the ARC!