Van Draanen's writing is always intriguing and well crafted, and I very much appreciated that while there were lots of things in Lincoln's life that weren't perfect, the general tone of the book was upbeat. I'm a huge fan of making the best of a bad situation, whether in books or in real life. The scenes in the nursing home were realistic and touching without being maudlin. Lincoln's interactions with his classmates were also spot on. Very nice balance. Lincoln and his mother were great characters, as was Mrs. Graves, their feisty yet ailing neighbor.

In a reversal of my usual complaint, I do wish that this book were about 20 pages LONGER so that a couple of questions were answered. What's with Kandi's manicures? Why is Isaac having so many troubles with classmates? I really wanted to know a lot more about Mrs. Graves. Keeping a middle grade novel under 200 pages is always a good call, however, and readers can exercise their imaginations filling in the blanks.

For readers who enjoyed Buyea's Because of Mr. Terupt, Bauer's Almost Home, Connor's All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook and Peck's The Best Man, The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones is a poignant yet highly readable book about a boy triumphing amidst difficult circumstances.