Book Review: The Best Man by Richard Peck

Title: The Best Man

Author: Richard Peck

Genre: Realistic Middle-Grade Fiction

Number of Pages: 240

Rating: B

Recommended?: Yes

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The Best Man is about a boy named Archer whose uncle and male teacher end up getting married, and they make him… you guessed it. He’s a nice boy but not too quick on the uptake sometimes, which is why he doesn’t know for a long time that his Uncle Paul is gay and he doesn’t know when sparks are flying between him and the teacher. Archer’s family is loving and supportive but he has to go through some tough times, namely the gradual deterioration of his grandfather.

The Best Man was a cute book, and Archer’s narrative voice was conversational and charming. My favorite character was Lynette, Archer’s smart and sarcastic female friend. The main thing I didn’t like about this book was the character of the British kid, Hilary. He was so annoying and over-the-top and I think the book would have been better off without him. He really didn’t seem necessary.

I would have liked to get to know the adult characters (like Uncle Paul) better, but the amount of information we found out about them was appropriate considering it was a kids book. Overall this book felt a little young for me, but I still enjoyed it and I’m curious about reading more of Richard Peck’s books.

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