The Decomposition of Jack is a very well written middle grade chapter book by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. Released 11 Oct 2022 by HarperCollins on their Children's imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
The author has created an engaging and poignant tale about a boy navigating his life whilst being known to his peers as the "Roadkill Kid", because he helps his mom with her scientific research on decomposition and environmental impact by collecting roadkill and observing the decomposition process in their backyard. At the same time, he's trying to find his way amidst the fallout from his parents' recent divorce, make progress in school, and have some sort of social life.
The author writes believably about being an awkward, slightly nerdy kid in an unforgiving social situation. She doesn't sugar coat how cruel kids can be to one another, or how clueless and self absorbed adults can be either. Additionally, she's included a wealth of really interesting conservation themed info about the life-death-life process and how the natural environment works. She has included a useful and interesting resource/links list at the end of the book for further reading.
Four stars. Very well done; sort of grossly fascinating in some places. 12 year old me would've been utterly fascinated by this book.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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