Albie is starting fifth grade at public school (having failed to meet the academic standards of his fancy private school), and he's finding it hard. He still doesn't understand math, and no matter how much he studies he still rarely gets more than 4 words right on his weekly 10-word spelling test. He makes a friend on his first day, but her unpopularity dooms him to be an outcast, as well. His parents seem to think his academic performance is a result of not working hard enough, and not that he honestly doesn't understand it. (He's not dyslexic, so there must not be anything wrong.) At least his new babysitter, Calista, understands him and what he's going through. 
 This is a little younger than middle-grade, but it's great to see the message that you can be below-average academically and still try hard and be a good person. That not every limitation gets pathologized. That kids pick up on what their parents say and do, even when we don't mean to say or do anything in particular. 
 Anyway. I liked this okay, and I might pass it along to some kids, but it's nothing that will really stand out to me.