The Puttermans Are in the House

November 1, 2022
A big family comes together. When Hurricane Harvey blows into town, the Puttermans are already dealing with a lot. Twelve-year-old twins Sammy and Matty were stars of their local baseball team, but when Matty leaves the field in the middle of a game, refusing to talk about why he's quitting baseball, it shakes Sammy's confidence as the only girl on the team and ruptures their close relationship. Their slightly older cousin, Becky, is half-heartedly preparing for her bat mitzvah but wishes her family would take her feline-inspired art projects more seriously. When the twins' house floods, their family--along with their grandparents and elderly neighbor--move in with the other Puttermans since Becky and her parents have plenty of room (if less patience). Personalities, egos, and interests collide and cohere as the extended Putterman family learns how to navigate each other and their developing needs in this smaller space. Houston's baseball team, the Astros, plays a large role in the story, and at least a passing interest in the sport will help maintain interest; the plot starts to drag halfway through, as the Astros' trajectory stands in for more character- or plot-driven conflict. All main characters are Jewish and implied Ashkenazi, making the African American Vernacular English-derived title (a quote from the book's only Black character) an unfortunate choice. A busy blend of baseball, natural disasters, and coming-of-age. (Fiction. 9-13)

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November 7, 2022
A large Jewish family’s personal relationships are put to the test when a natural disaster forces them into close proximity in this bustling tale by Feldman (Wishing upon the Same Stars). Star pitcher Matty Putterman and his twin sister Sammy, the solitary girl in their amateur league, credit their baseball-diamond domination and their family’s love of the Houston Astros as the only things keeping the twins’ father and their uncle Mike on good terms. Meanwhile, their cousin Becky resents the family’s sports obsession, believing it’s outshining her upcoming bat mitzvah. When Matty walks off the field mid-game without explanation, Sammy worries that their unshakable siblinghood is on the rocks. Soon thereafter, Hurricane Harvey hits Texas, flooding the twins’ home and necessitating that they move in with Uncle Mike, Aunt Deb, and Becky. Past wounds jump to the fore as the family’s clashing personalities and contentious relationships collide. Via the three tweens’ earnest alternating perspectives, which are studded with baseball jargon, Feldman discerningly highlights one family’s struggles navigating loss and learning to accept one another in this uplifting tale. Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12.

January 1, 2023
Grades 5-7 Seventh-graders Sammy and Matty, the Putterman twins, have always shared a telepathic connection, but ever since Matty walked off the baseball field in mid-game three months ago, Sammy has felt shut out by her brother teammate. After Hurricane Harvey roars through Houston, destroying their home and that of their grandparents, the six of them move in with the twins' uncle, aunt, and cousin Becky for a while. Sammy shares a bedroom with her cousin, the only family member who's not a keen baseball fan. While the others root for the Astros to win the World Series, Becky prepares for her upcoming bat mitzvah, glumly expecting the final game to conflict with her party. Creating a large cast of believable characters, Feldman does a particularly good job of balancing the three cousins' interwoven stories. The first-person narrative shifts from Sammy, adrift without her brother, to Matty, hiding a secret he's reluctant to share, and Becky, trying to change her resentful attitude. An involving novel in which individuals reach out to help one another and find unexpected rewards.

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February 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Sammy and Matty Putterman are twin baseball legends and Houston Astros superfans. When Hurricane Harvey devastates their home and they are forced to move in with their extended family, their twin relationship fractures even more than it had been before. As Matty grows closer with his cousin Becky and Sammy struggles to find her place as a baseball player and an individual separate from her brother, the whole family works to decide how to move forward in the wake of the destruction from the hurricane. Themes of grief, fitting in, family relationships, and sexual identity shine in this baseball-focused book, making it more a story of growing up than a sports tale. The characters are authentic and well developed. Becky's excitement over finally getting a social media account, Matty's struggles with his emotions surrounding his first and second kiss, and Sammy's overwhelming grief about all their losses ring very true and young readers will relate to their trials and tribulations. While the story is character driven, there are enough plot elements to keep readers interested in what happens next, and the narration by each of the tweens brings unique perspectives to each chapter. VERDICT This resonant story of hope, family, and finding yourself will be a hit. Recommend this to readers who enjoyed Joan Bauer's Soar, and fans of heartfelt realistic fiction.-Ellen Conlin

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