Puss Reboots: Blog: July 2022: Stuntboy, in the Meantime

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Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third
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Stuntboy, in the Meantime: 07/29/22

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third is about a self styled superhero whose call in life is to keep other superheroes from getting hurt. Portico Reeves lives in "the Castle," a multistory apartment building, with his parents and grandmother. More and more he's being sent to the "mean time" as his parents fight over stuff.

In terms of tone and the use of extended literary allusion, Stuntboy is a similar read to My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich by Ibi Zoboi (2019). Both are stories of tweenagers living in the city and processing the ups and downs of their lives through extended roleplaying.

Portico, aka Stuntboy, has anxiety as well. His alter ego is a way for him to cope. Taking away the superhero metaphor, this heavily illustrated novel is about a boy under stress from a bully living in his same building and to seeing his home life turned upside down when his parents split and take two different apartments in the same building.

Raúl the Third's illustrations are the glue that holds the two halves of the story together. Like his work on the Lowriders series by Cathy Camper, the artwork is bold and colorful.

Four stars