THIS COULD ALL GO BAD

A night of manic misadventures heralds life-changing events and insights for a graduating eighth grader.

On the night before graduation—and with extreme reluctance stemming from a tendency to suffer anxiety-fueled “Dread Spirals”—Jensen Chapman crawls through his bedroom window to join besties Maleek and Cooper in an exchange of terrifying dares with a rival set of girls. The ensuing hilarious events range from driving off bullies with help from a pair of trained ferrets through hanging out with the girls and actually talking to his crush, Leslie Chen, to accepting dares that sometimes skirt legality. These antics repeatedly force Jensen to face his gnawing fears, and the night ends with revelations that threaten to upend his world. Hall shows a knack for crafting comically frantic situations and clean but authentic-sounding dialogue. Jensen’s sister, Maddy, a high school senior, offers words of wisdom that will comfort readers who may be feeling anxious over changes in their own lives: “Every good thing in life has to be held loosely. We can try clinging to things as tight as possible, but they have a way of slipping through our fingers no matter what.” Hall equips Jensen with the empathy to mend existing friendships and forge new ones (including with Leslie). Jensen and Cooper present white, and Maleek is Black. Names cue further diversity in the cast.

A night to remember, stocked with comic mishaps and meaningful lessons learned.