The Backyard Secrets of Danny Wexler by Karen Pokras Ages 8-13 Years Grades - 2-6

Eleven-year-old Danny Wexler, the only Jewish boy in his blue-collar town during the late 1970s, is obsessed with the Bermuda Triangle. When a local child goes missing, Danny's convinced it's connected to an old Bermuda Triangle theory involving UFOs. With his two best friends and their Spacetron telescope, Danny heads to his backyard to investigate. But hunting for extraterrestrials is complicated, and it doesn't help that his friend Nicholas's mom doesn't want her son hanging out with a Jewish boy. Equipped with his super-secret spy notebook, Danny sets out to fight both the aliens and the growing anti-Semitism in the town, in hopes of mending his divided community.

"Danny Wexler is a middle schooler with two best friends, a family, and an elderly neighbor that are central to his life. The relationship between Danny and his sister is typical, and his relationship with his parents influences many of the questions and actions Danny takes. The relationship he has with his elderly neighbor is at once endearing and precarious, acting as a catalyst for how Danny interprets and understands many of the events that occur in his life. However, it is the relationship with his friends that will draw readers to him. The group is quirky and real; teaching Danny about life and the different perspectives that surround him. Karen Pokras does an excellent job of realistically conveying the perspective of a middle schooler. She captures Danny's use of imagination vividly, without making him sound silly. She also realistically portrays the microaggressions Danny and his family encounter as a result of anti-semitism as well as the confusion they cause for a young man who is growing up and facing a world that is not always kind to him. Highly recommended." ― Maria J. Sexton, Library Media Specialist, Douglas High School Library, Douglas, Arizona, School Library Connection