Operation Final Notice

Landis (It’s the End of the World as I Know It) spotlights variations on overwhelm in a feel-good story with Hallmark Christmas movie vibes. Since his father’s workplace injury, seventh grader Ronny Russo’s family has been experiencing financial precarity, and now—according to a letter threatening “legal action”—they might lose their car, which they need for his mother’s job. His best friend Jo Ramos’s impending orchestra school audition also feels like a kind of “final notice”—an essential step toward overcoming performance anxiety and achieving her professional cello-playing dreams. Spurred by post-Christmas deadlines, the neighbors team up to both earn money for Ronny’s family and conquer Jo’s stage fright by entertaining local nursing home residents. But making $878 for a car payment is harder than they realized, and another complication looms: if Jo transfers to orchestra school, Ronny worries that they’ll no longer have each other. A rosy tone and wildly supportive community match the holiday setting, while distinct character voices sell the dual-POV narrative. Cued-white jokester Ronny, who has ADHD and excels in a Learning Support classroom, narrates in run-on sentences sprinkled with humor, while direct yet expressive description from Mexican American Jo matches the lyrical simplicity of her favorite Bach preludes. An author’s note concludes. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lauren Galit, LKG Agency. (Nov.)