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Discovers must-read book that tackle themes like racism, friendship, and family history in layered stories similar to Holes by Louis Sachar

Gary D. Schmidt does something delightful in “Just Like That” (Clarion, 385 pages, $16.99), a novel for readers ages 9-14. He arranges for his characters to discover great books—“Treasure Island,” “Oliver Twist” and “The Wonderful World of Oz” among them—even as he borrows ideas and personality types from great books for the story he is telling about his characters. In this way, Mr. Schmidt’s tale of two young people and their journeys from darkness to light becomes, in itself, a testament to the formative power of literature. “Just...