A review by mldavisreads
Ben Y and the Ghost in the Machine by K.A. Holt
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Middle grade realistic fiction, novel in verse. This book is the second in a series, sequel to BenBee and the Teacher Griefer, and is more enjoyable if you have read the first book. Ben Y, Ben B, Jordan J, and Javier are back at school after their summer school experience where they all bonded. Their vice principal Mr. Mann is a bit on the rampage, especially towards a new student Ace who sees no reason to follow the school dress code. Ben Y sees a bit of themself in Ace, and gradually Ace latches onto the rest of the crew. But Ben Y is still grieving Benicio, the brother who created the Sandbox game and has since passed. The family is a trying to get by, with sister Esme and their Mom also grieving. Ben Y looks back to old Sandbox chats to read Benicio's words of comfort and advice. The 4 kids (now 5 with Ace) are in the newspaper typing club with Ms. J. While they have printed newspapers, the time has been mainly spent playing Sandbox and spending time together. But Mr. Mann has a new idea for the newspaper and insists it features an administrative profile of him and discusses the new zero tolerance policy. As the kids in the club feel bullied by some of the students and targeted by Mr. Mann, they have to walk a line between writing their articles and truly expressing themselves.
This book is told mostly in verse, but also has several chat transcripts. As such, it reads much faster than the size of the book implies. I love this group of students and seeing how much Ms. J goes to bat for them. It was interesting to read of Ben Y's search for identity, after having already shortened their birth name Benita to Ben, they decide to go by Mx. instead of Ms. (the vice principal routinely calls students Mr. or Ms. with their last name). Note: While no label is given to Ben Y and pronouns are not addressed, I used the pronouns they/them based on that expressed preference for Mx.
This book is told mostly in verse, but also has several chat transcripts. As such, it reads much faster than the size of the book implies. I love this group of students and seeing how much Ms. J goes to bat for them. It was interesting to read of Ben Y's search for identity, after having already shortened their birth name Benita to Ben, they decide to go by Mx. instead of Ms. (the vice principal routinely calls students Mr. or Ms. with their last name). Note: While no label is given to Ben Y and pronouns are not addressed, I used the pronouns they/them based on that expressed preference for Mx.