And Then, Boom! by Lisa Fipps (Nancy Paulsen Books, May 2024) is a middle grade novel in verse centered on the neglected and poverty-stricken tween Joe Oak. Just as his surname suggests, Joe is a solid character able to adapt and survive even as life keeps throwing more challenges at him (those sudden moments of “and then…BOOM”). Joe’s mother is uncaring and almost completely absent, and his only steady support is his grandmother, who (spoiler) dies part-way through the book. As he says in the first chapter, Joe “flies” like a superhero at one point, and in a sense he is a superhero in persisting and showing true grit as he suffers without asking for help, thus echoing his own personal love for reading comic books.
While I enjoyed reading And Then, Boom!, there was something too familiar and common about his story. I’m sure it’s a “window” into a different, difficult life for some kids unfamiliar with poverty in their community, and it may even be a mirror for others struggling as Joe did. Maybe it will convince kids in such a poverty situation to seek help. The books shows that it is not just Joe but also a few of his friends who have neglectful parents, emphasizing that nobody is truly alone and people will most likely understand why you need help when you ask for it. But just as Joe’s surname so obviously refers to his steadiness, I felt like the entire book was a bit too obvious. There is no doubt about the approaching happy ending, and the obvious plot progression simply made the intermediate action feel like a slog for me.
There are stronger books with these concepts. Since I just read it, I’ll say most particularly that The Ten Mistakes of Hank Hooperman emphasizes similar concepts but with a main character that has a more complicated personality. His character significanty shifts and changes throughout his story. The novel has an intriguing storyline that never felt ordinary or expected. Unfortunately, I would describe Joe Oak’s story the other way.
