We the Children by Andrew Clements

This is the first in Andrew Clements' (Frindle) series, Benjamin Pratt and the Keepers of the School.  I really liked it.  Written for young readers (perhaps 10 and under), it's 142 pages long with pen and ink illustrations by Adam Stower. 

Running late for homeroom, Ben encounters the elderly janitor slumped over his mop.  Grimacing with pain, Mr. Keane gives Ben a gold coin (and a responsibility) that has been passed down from custodian to custodian since Captain Duncan Oakes founded the school in 1783. When Mr. Keane dies at the hospital, Ben has to try to stop the plan to bulldoze Oakes School to make room for an amusement park.

I read this book with my six-year-old daughter.  Ben's parents, like her own, are in the midst of a separation.  I kept reading ahead a few pages to see how Clements chose to deal with this subject but invariably I was pleased with his choices and glad to give my daughter a bit of a springboard for discussing her own situation.  I felt that Clements spoke accurately to the many emotions involved without giving Ben a completely pessimistic outlook, if that makes sense.  I also appreciated the way that Ben interacts with others.  I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel, Fear Itself.