NOBODY HERE BUT ME

Viorst, the always-spot-on voice for disgruntled kids, captures another universal childhood feeling. The nameless narrator is frustrated because Mom is on the phone, Dad is online and his older sister and her friend want nothing to do with him—no one wants to pay him any attention. What’s a frustrated young boy to do? Why, break out the paint and start painting the wall to get a reaction. When that doesn’t work, he finds the scissors; still, nobody pays him any mind. After wrecking the kitchen and getting spooked in the basement, he puts himself to bed, complaining loudly all the while. That is when everyone finishes his or her activities, and they restore the boy to good humor by paying him loads of attention and letting him give a little payback besides. Viorst’s text is emotionally on-target; Davenier’s loose watercolor illustrations appropriately isolate the boy in small vignettes or within otherwise unoccupied interiors to add an extra touch of feeling. (Picture book. 4-7)