Mike Jung

Matt and Eric have been best friends since fourth grade, when Eric welcomed Matt into band and Matt introduced Eric to comics. Now sixth graders, they've just gotten two major pieces of news: one, their band will get to perform a concert at the World of Amazement, an awesome theme park; and two, Eric's pastry chef mom got a job across the country in New York and he'll be moving at the end of the school year. When a third piece of news arrives - their favorite comics creator will be at show more DefenderCon the same time as their spring concert - they hatch a plan to ditch the "optional" day and go to the Con instead. But the best-laid plans...etc.

Matt, who is Korean-American, and Eric, who is white, both come from loving, supportive homes; the same doesn't seem to be true for the two worst bullies in their class (and in band), Sean and Kenny. Matt and Eric experience blatant homophobia ("gay" used as an insult, continually being called queer even though both are pretty sure they're straight and that being gay isn't a bad thing) and bullying, sometimes even physical harassment. The teachers seem aware of very little of it, although when there's a big fight at the end, another kid runs for help.

More than anything The Boys in the Back Row is about the true, deep, sincere friendship between Matt and Eric, and how, despite their last hurrah not going as planned, they vow to stay friends after Eric moves.

Quotes (from ARC)

...but then sixth grade came lurching in like a one-legged zombie, and what do you know, everything actually did change. (from the first paragraph)

Mom also didn't believe in "boy instruments" or "girl instruments," whether I was the only boy flute and piccolo player in school or not. Every single bully at school disagreed with them, though, and they didn't tell Mom and Dad about it. The told me... (10)

Eric and I got harassed a lot, but it didn't stop us from actually being ourselves. (115)

Being suspicious of people all the time is an incredible bummer. You have to keep your guard up whenever you're around those people, you can't trust what they say even if they're not always trying to mess with you, and you have to watch what you say because you never know if it'll be used against you. (132-133) show less

Things I love about this book:

It tackles the topic of toxic masculinity, and the way we don't allow boys to touch each other/be touched in any kind of healthy way once they reach adolescence -- it's ok for friends to put their arms over each other's shoulder, or bump shoulders, or cry. And, woo! It's amazing how ingrained not seeing that is in American culture. I found myself anxious about these displays of affection, even knowing that it's toxic bullshit. People need physical touch -- it show more helps them regulate. Affection is good.

It has real conversations about the stigma of appearing "gay" and about how there is also nothing wrong with being gay. The central friendship is between two boys who discuss whether or not they are gay/attracted to each other, and it turns out they are not. But the message is that the close friendship they enjoy would continue regardless.

Celebration of band geeks, comic books, and found family. Delightful! It will get better, kids, and it's ok to love the things you love.

There's some pretty extreme bullying (it ramps up), and I wanted the teachers to catch things sooner. I also appreciate the sincere weird ways that things can go wrong even with best intentions. "We'll just tell him how we feel" becomes a weird semi-blackmail situation. Yep, conversations can go sideways.

I also really enjoyed that the main character is just a really good kid. He keep liking the things he likes and being who he is regardless of the crap thrown at him.

Weaker points -- well, it's not a particularly fast moving or plot driven book. It's a year in the life. I enjoyed it. Some kids will enjoy it. Some will not be up for that type of story. show less

As a huge fan of superhero stories, I could not resist Mike Jung's debut novel, Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities. Yet again, my instincts for middle grade novels have served me well, because Jung's novel is every bit as stupendous as its main superhero.

Packed with superhero stunts and villainous mayhem, Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities will surely delight any and all superhero fans. The tone matches up well with the movie The Incredibles, fun, action-packed, focused on family, and with show more a little bit of romance on the side. For older readers, Jung throws in cute references to classics of the superhero genre. For example, I noticed a street named after Brian Michael Bendis.

Vincent Wu and his friends run their own (unofficial) fan club for the city's famed superhero Captain Stupendous. Vincent, Max and George are not remotely popular, but they have each other and can comfort themselves in the awareness of their superior knowledge of Stupendous' exploits. Their lives get changed for the more exciting when they learn the secret identity of Captain Stupendous...and he's not anyone they ever would have expected.

Vincent, Max, and George make such a convincing group of nerdy friends. They squabble, have their own sets of inside jokes, tease each other mercilessly, and, most importantly, have each others' backs when need arises. The inclusion of Polly is my favorite part, because she shows them how powerful girls can be, even though they have trouble believing that at first. Polly totally rocks, and I love the wonderful message that Jung sends about strength through her character.

Vincent's parents are largely absent during the book, divorced and both busy with their jobs, father as a genius inventor and mother as school superintendent. However, despite their lack of physical presence, there is no doubt of how much they care for their son. They call him and check on him, and do their best to protect him. Perhaps most touching is his relationship with his mother's boyfriend, Detective Carpenter. He treats Vincent with respect and honors his opinions in a way Vincent hasn't ever really felt from adults, which helps him open up in this new set of challenges.

Serious messages aside, this book is almost entirely hilarious. There's the awkwardness of first crushes, the superhero/villain banter, and plenty of gross scenes, including one rather spectacular one involving a lot of vomit. Young readers will no doubt love all of these things. To top it all off, there's a scary robot and a bunch of epic battles. What more could you ask for?

The supervillain plot follows well-tread lines, and will not be shocking to older readers. Really, though, the focus is not on the supervillain, so much on heroism and how size doesn't really matter when it comes to defeating the bad guy. Though a bit anticlimactic, the showdown with the villain is hilarious and fitting. Just know that this isn't one of those stories that ends with the defeat of the villain.

I highly recommend Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities for anyone who enjoys superhero tales, young and old alike. The book reads quickly, and comes with a bunch of perfectly-matched illustrations by Mike Maihack. show less

Middle-schooler Matt is excited to be joining his best friend Eric as a drummer in orchestra, instead of being the only boy in the flute section as in the past. The two are even more thrilled when they learn the school orchestra will be taking a field trip to a local amusement park in the spring – that is, until they learn that their favorite comic book artist will be doing a one-day only special signing at the same exact time. How can they manage both? Or will they always remain show more disappointed?

This book was odd and seemed to give all kinds of mixed messages. For starters, Matt seems to be pleased on the whole with his liberal parents who talk with concern about things like gender stereotypes. But then he is all too eager to throw away his ‘girly’ piccolo to join the drum section, even though two of his worst bullies are there and he admittedly finds playing the drum kind of boring. There’s a few moments where it feels like there could be some resolutions/turning points with the bullies, but these don’t quite come to fruition. In one case, there seems to be an implication that the worse of the two bullies – who constantly uses “queers” as a slur – might himself be gay, so in a way I’m glad the author didn’t go with that tired trope (or at least, didn’t fully explore/state it, but the implication is still there).

The ending of the book felt very ‘meh.’ There had been far too many storylines introduced and few conclusions existed. We can reasonably assume that Matt will strengthen his newfound friendships with Hector and Jack after Eric’s absence, but everything feels very up in the air. Often I like the ‘slice of life’ kind of stories, but I don’t think this quite qualifies as that. There may be some readers who will really enjoy this story, but I’m not one of them. show less