“Eli sat on the front porch steps, crammed in with his brothers, while Papa fiddled with the camera.”

From Dana Alison Levy’s The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.

The family Fletcher is made up of twelve-year-old Sam, ten-year-olds Jax and Eli, six-year-old Jeremiah “Frog,” Papa, and Dad.  As the new school year starts it is full of exciting new developments for each one of the brothers; Frog is starting kindergarten, Sam is entering his last year of elementary school, Jax has moved to upper elementary with Sam, and Eli is starting at a new school for gifted kids, just like he wanted.  However, things quickly become a mess for the family in true Fletcher fashion.  Sam is nervous about being good enough at soccer to make it on the elite team later in the year, but then he somehow gets pulled into trying out for the school play.  Jax has to do a big project on a veteran, but the only one he knows is their terrible new neighbor, Mr. Nelson.  While initially excited about attending the Pinnacle School, Eli is regretting his choice now, but doesn’t want to say anything after he begged to go there.   Frog wants to do all the things his older brothers did, but mainly he wants his family to believe that his friend from school (Ladybug) is real, even though he has a cheetah imaginary friend.  An epic Halloween party, a untraditional Thanksgiving with Aunt Lucy from New York, a bold announcement during winter break, and a slew of other happenings throughout the school year makes it a wild, uncontrollable couple of months for the whole family.

This story is sweet, hilarious, and definitely hectic, but the unpredictability of life will resonate with readers of all ages.  Each of the four boys are unique, but their life issues work together well on the whole.  Misadventures of the Family Fletcher is an unexpected, but very enjoyable story.