Stuntboy, In-Between Time

By Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third

Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Jason Reynolds' website

https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/

Illustrator Information:

Raul the Third's website

https://www.raulthethird.com/

Activities & Resources:

Superheroes:

How to Draw a cartoon Superman (7:57)

https://www.youtube.com./watch?v=_OZxBGzyu74

Superhero Themed Charades Game

https://www.darcyandbrian.com/printable-superhero-themed-charades-game-for-kids/

Make your own No-Sew Superhero Cape (1:08)

https://www.youtube.com./watch?v=IEPQPGr2tQQ

Make your own Superhero Mask 

https://www.firstpalette.com/craft/superhero-mask.html

Relaxing Superhero Kid Yoga (45:24)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNcM89BJrOs

Indoor Superhero Obstacle Course

https://www.osc.org/indoor-obstacle-course/

Comics:

FREE Comic Creator

https://www.storyboardthat.com/comic-maker

Friendship:

Twisted Friendship Bracelet (4:55)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jASC2Y2udWI

Make a Kindness Catcher (1:17)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFZ8gty8LFo

Mindfulness:

Pufferfish Breathing Activities for Kids (2:04)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkHaUI5kAyA

MakerSpace Activities:

Make a cardboard castle like Portico's apartment building (3:18)

https://www.youtube.com./watch?v=HGH2bteGpTA

Watercolor Mural Art for Kids (20:38)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixrF-dP8DfU

Build an obstacle course with blocks

https://www.primotoys.com/activity-make-obstacle-course-blocks/

Make Superhero Slime

https://www.mymundaneandmiraculouslife.com/superhero-slime-recipe/

Build an object to help others

https://www.invent.org/blog/stem-activity/brainstorming-invention-ideas

Discussion Questions:

How does the main character, Portico, deal with the different pressures in his life?

What role do Portico's friends play in his life, and how do they help him cope?

How does Portico’s relationship with his parents shape his experience throughout the story?

What does the title Stuntboy, in the Meantime mean to you? How does it relate to Portico's journey?

In what ways does Portico use his imagination as a way to escape his problems?

What does Portico learn about himself through his superhero persona as Stuntboy?

How does the author use humor in the book to address serious issues like mental health and bullying?

How does Portico feel about being a "stuntboy," and why does he think of himself in that way?

How does Portico face bullies? Do you think his superhero persona helps him?

How do the different adults in Portico's life impact his understanding of the world?

How does Portico’s perception of himself evolve over the course of the story?

What role does the setting (both at home, between his parent's apartments and the apartment upstairs) play in the development of the plot?

How does the book address the theme of resilience, especially in terms of Portico's struggles?

What impact does Portico's relationship with his Mom and Dad have on his emotional journey?

How do Portico's "superpowers" help him process his emotions and experiences?

What is the significance of Portico's relationship with his friends, Zola and Herbert, and how he faces his obstacles? How do they help him grow?

Portico's friend, Zola, tries to help him with his 'frets' through breathing exercises. How does her support and acknowledgement of his anxiety help Portico?

Other than using his Stuntboy acts to fight the bullies, how does Portico's imagination of having these super powers help his confidence?

How does Portico cope with his parents’ separation, and what does that experience teach him?

How does the ending of the book leave you feeling? What do you think Portico’s next steps will be?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the reader’s theater for Suntboy: In Between Time by Jason Reynolds

Watch the book trailer on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.

Read Alikes: 

Baptiste, Tracey. Boy 2.0. When thirteen-year-old African American Coal discovers he can turn invisible, he searches for answers about his past with the help of his friends and his new foster family. (NoveList Plus)

Cisneros, Ernesto. Falling Short. Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won’t change things at home—not without each other’s help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac’s parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father’s approval by earning a spot on the school’s basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short? (NoveList Plus)

Grose, Miles. The Tyrell Show: Season Two. Tyrell is finishing out his final year at Marcus Garvey Elementary. This time, without his best friend, Boogie. But they won't be apart for too much longer! The Tyrell Show is going on the road to visit Boogie in the Wild West. But when Tyrell shares the news of his visit with his best friend, Boogie starts acting strangely. What's going on? Tyrell is determined to get to the bottom of it. As it turns out, Boogie has a bully! Well, that's not going to fly with Tyrell. (NoveList Plus)

Vuong, Tri. Everyday hero Machine Boy. When Machine Boy falls into the city of Mega 416, he leaves a wake of destruction in his path... until Karate Grandpa is able to activate his heart. Now, whether he is fighting giant bugs in the school's basement or making the perfect spaghetti sauce, Machine Boy is always looking for the best way to help others. But when his heart reacts dangerously to mysterious debris from outer space, Machine Boy wonders if he can be a force for good after all. (NoveList Plus)

West, Kara. Mia Mayhem vs. The Super Bully. When a super annoying villain (who’s actually another superhero) arrives at THE PITS and accuses Mia of not belonging, Mia doesn’t know what to do. Will she be able to hold her ground when she goes up against the Super Bully? (NoveList Plus)

Reviews:

Booklist starred (June 1, 2023 (Vol. 119, No. 19))

Grades 3-5. Just getting from his mom’s apartment on the fourth floor to his dad’s on the third for “Dad-urday” takes Portico “Stuntboy” Reeves all day in this equally funny and tumultuous follow-up to Stuntboy, in the Meantime (2021). First, there’s almost getting stuck in the elevator and then having to negotiate the stairs past all the “weenagers, the treenagers, and the freenagers." Then there are the 17 loose iguanas in 4Q to recapture, and the empty apartment with the unlocked door on the eighth floor that, to Portico, with fellow superheroes Zola and Herbert, just begs to have its walls decorated with magic markers—an act that results, like so many episodes of awesome TV series Super Space Warriors do, in an “Explosion of Great Magnitude” when the super finds out. Once again, Reynolds adroitly weaves emotional business into the teeming tapestry of apartment houselife by surrounding his caped protagonist, still struggling with his parents’ recent separation, with a colorful cast depicted by Raúl the Third in typically snappy, dynamic flurries of motion on nearly every page. Zola’s dazzling Grandpa Pepper, who names nail-polish colors for a living and takes over the vacant apartment with his own purple haired Gran Gran in tow, makes a particularly unforgettable entrance. But Pepper fits right in, as readers will be yearning to do, with the distinctive residents of Skylight Gardens.