William and the Brains Trust

Reach for this book when your child is feeling misunderstood by the adults in their life or when they need to see that 'naughtiness' is often just misplaced creativity. It is the perfect antidote to the pressure of perfection, offering a world where mistakes are messy, hilarious, and ultimately survivable. William Brown is a perpetual eleven-year-old whose attempts to be helpful or important inevitably result in chaos. Set in mid-century England, these stories follow William and his gang, the Outlaws, as they navigate the rigid expectations of the adult world. While the setting is historical, the emotional core of the book captures the universal desire for independence and the humorous friction between a child's logic and adult rules. It is a lighthearted, vocabulary-rich choice for middle-grade readers who enjoy mischievous protagonists.