RUBE GOLDBERG AND HIS AMAZING MACHINES

Middle schooler Rube Goldberg’s obsession with building machines lands him in the midst of a best friend crisis, a school haunting, and a town mystery.

Though Rube shares the name of the famous American inventor, in this fictional story he is a regular 21st-century sixth grader. When Beechwood Middle School’s Principal Kim announces the Contraption Convention, Rube sees his shot at earning real recognition for his passion. His best friends, Boob and Pearl, get pushed to the side as Rube becomes focused both on his creation and his new friend, Zach. Ultimately, Rube has to come to terms with tensions arising from his affectionate but frequently absent father, his tattered friendships, and the lingering impact of the death of his mother. Snider accurately conveys feelings of change and growth at a time when tweens are truly still children. Though the story includes a spooky doll, ghost slime, and a neighborhood house that is rumored to be haunted, those elements feel like afterthoughts with weak connections to the central plotline and little thrill factor. Steckley’s black-and-white illustrations evoke the cluttered, mad-scientist feel of Rube’s workspace, even if some don’t always match the text’s descriptions. Illustrations cue Pearl as Black and most other main characters as White.

Moving parts and missing pieces don’t make for a successful machine.