In "The Midnight War of Mateo Martinez" written by Robin Yardi, Mateo gets his trike stolen by two skunks. When he starts to investigate, he finds a colony of glow-in-the-dark caterpillars that are being disturbed by a turf war between the skunks and raccoons. Mateo decides to take on the role of a peacemaker and wants to help them live in harmony. This novel teaches young readers about friendship, empathy, understanding different perspectives, and the power that communication holds in solving issues of many kinds. ( )

I was skeptical but hopeful about this book when it was promoted by a publicist at BEA. I was excited about a book featuring a boy who is Hispanic, but doubtful about the audience for a coming of age story - usually it's girls who go for this genre.

Mateo is having a tough year. His best friend Johnny Ramirez doesn't hang out with him anymore, his parents gave his old trike to his annoying little sister, and, worst of all, he's just seen a pair of TALKING SKUNKS steal the trike! Mateo tries his best to live up to the knights in his books, but it's hard to be brave and noble when he gets blamed for things going wrong and his ex-friend is hanging out with a bully and is now ganging up on Mateo and his new friend and....it's just too much. He'll have to make difficult decisions, navigating friendship, identity, and para-military skunks to get his life back on track.

Mateo is a realistic character in that difficult tween stage - sometimes he acts more like a little kid, not wanting his sister to have his old trike, and sometimes he's got more mature concerns. He reflects on his identify as a Mexican-American, the nature of territories and friends, and his adventures with the skunks bring out thoughts on how people interact - and how wars get started. There's a light, fantastical touch in the talking animals, humor in Mateo's inner dialogue and battles with the furry miscreants, and more serious aspects as Mateo struggles to adjust to changes in his life and relationships and decide which friends deserve his loyalty.

Verdict: I enjoyed reading this and it's a sweet and unique book. I don't think I'll have a wide audience for it, but I do have a set of more sensitive boys around this age who will appreciate it and some careful booktalking may introduce it to a wider audience. It will definitely fill a gap in the collection for books featuring diverse kids and addressing issues of friendship and change for younger tweens. I think I'll use it in book club next year, if I can find enough copies.

ISBN: 9781467783064; Published 2016 by Carolrhoda/Lerner; Review copy provided by publisher at BEA; Donated to the library

THE MIDNIGHT WAR OF MATEO MARTINEZ by Robin Yardi tells the captivating story of a boy who encounters anthropomorphic skunks in his neighborhood.

When two talking skunks steal his old trike, Mateo, his little sister Mila, and his friend Ashwin must work together to figure out what’s happening in their neighborhood late at night.

This story about friendship and family will appeal to middle grade readers who enjoy a bit of magical realism in their stories.

Librarians will find this quick-read to be popular wth a wide range of readers. The animal and medieval themes along with the fast-paced approach will particularly appeal to boys and reluctant readers.

Although not a focal point of the story, Mateo’s concerns about language and his Mexican-American heritage make this book a useful entry into the library’s diversity collection. It’s also refreshing to find an Indian-American character.

A discussion guide, bookmark, and activity ideas are available at the author’s website.

To learn more about the author, go to http://robinyardi.com/.

Published by Carolrhoda Books, an imprint of Lerner. ARC courtesy of the publisher. ( )