Book review - Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed

 

Title: Benny Ramirez and the Nearly Departed

Author: Jose Pablo Iriarte

Genre: magical realism

Similar books: Call Me Iggy by Jorge Aguirre

                      Almost There and Almost Not by Linda Urban

Rating:

 

some solid ideas

Summary (provided by publisher): After moving cross-country into his late grandfather’s Miami mansion, Benny discovers that the ghost of his famous trumpet-playing abuelo, the great Ignacio Ramírez, is still there . . . and isn’t too thrilled about it. He’s been barred from the afterlife, and no one can see him except his grandson. But Benny’s got problems of his own. He’s enrolled in a performing arts school with his siblings, despite having no obvious talent.
 Luckily, Abuelo believes they can help each other. Abuelo has until New Year’s Eve to do some good in the world and thinks that teaching Benny how to play the trumpet and become a school celebrity might be the key to earning his wings. Having no better ideas, Benny finds himself taking Abuelo's advice—to disastrous and hilarious results.

My opinion: With this book Iriarte takes a hard look at the mixed bag of fame and skill. We have the obvious lesson of Abuelo's fame and ego, the way he prioritized himself over everyone else in his life. But there's also the example of Benny's siblings who have always excelled, been the best in their art, and are struggling with finding their place. There's a focus on doing the things that you love, not just because you are good at them. Some of the attitudes are a bit of a mixed bag and the ending is perhaps overly idealized but for the most part it asks good questions for a middle grader to consider.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley