The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin

Who is Paulie Fink—and how do you replace a legend?

The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin is a funny, thoughtful middle grade novel about friendship, identity, belonging, and what happens when the stories we tell about someone become bigger than the person themselves.

When Caitlyn Breen starts seventh grade at a tiny school in rural Vermont, she expects being the new kid to be difficult. What she doesn’t expect is for everyone to be obsessed with Paulie Fink—a mischievous, larger-than-life former classmate who has mysteriously disappeared.

Paulie’s classmates remember him as a prankster, troublemaker, hero, and legend all rolled into one. Determined to fill the enormous hole he left behind, they decide to hold a reality-show-style competition to choose the Next Great Paulie Fink. And somehow, Caitlyn finds herself in charge of judging it.

As she listens to wildly different stories about the mysterious Paulie, Caitlyn begins to realize that people—and reputations—are much more complicated than they first appear.

Funny, quirky, and full of heart, The Next Great Paulie Fink is a clever exploration of friendship, mythology, perspective, and finding your place when you’re the newest person in the room.

Perfect for readers who love: funny middle grade fiction, quirky school stories, friendship and found family, eccentric characters, mysteries without the murder, and books about figuring out who you want to be.