It's rare to see middle grade stories that focus so much more on character development and struggles instead of an extremely dynamic and attention-grabbing plot, but this is exactly what A Test of Courage does.

I really appreciate how all three books of the first wave deal with very similar themes of grief and insecurities, but each of them adapted to their specific audiences, toning up or down nuance and complexity accordingly. And while I'm very far off the intended target for this one (regardless of still reading within the genre here and there), all characters managed to reach me in their pains.

It confuses me though, because while the charactererization would indicate to me an older range for middle grade, the plot is oftentimes too simplistic for that level of reading. I understand that the usual fast paced storyline was traded for deeper characters, but the 70% middle-chunk of the book is not all that interesting. The beginning and very end do bring some originality, but overall I felt that I keep waiting for something exciting to happen.

But he baggage and development of each of these four kids is what makes this story, and it paints a very nice picture of overcoming fears and loss, of feeling accepted and sufficient. It's a story about growth.