The Year of Billy Miller is the first in a series about the Miller family, written by children’s picture-book author Kevin Henkes. Readers will follow Billy as he navigates second grade, with conflicts at school and at home that he must work through. Written for a young middle-grade audience, Billy’s day-to-day problems require him to have patience and confidence. While his baby sister, Sal, gets on his nerves with her crying, Billy realizes that he needs her too. He must also muster the courage to write and recite a poem in front of his class and their families. Such problems are realistic without being upsetting or traumatic, and both care givers and readers will appreciate the level of comfort that Henkes infuses throughout the book. There is no squirming from frightening antagonists, and no awkwardness from scenes meant for older audiences.