[TOMT] [Book] [Late 90s-2000s] slice-of-life Hey Arnold vibe children's/middle school age book

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Hi everyone, I’m trying to find a book I read when I was younger sometime in 2010-2013. It was a yellow hardcover book that I bought at a Goodwill in the Dallas area.

It was a children’s/middle-grade realistic fiction book, probably from the early 2000s or even late 90s. The cover had multiple illustrated faces similar to the Gorillaz album Demon Days. It had a vibe similar to Maniac Magee.

The story followed a boy in an apartment-building type setting and focused on everyday life, mostly summer/hanging out moments rather than any fantasy or adventure. If I’m not mistaken he goes to visit his aunt for the summer and the city was very similar to Hey Arnold (think New York coded setting)

A few specific things I remember:

A scene where an aunt comes back from the store and the main kid starts eating a jar of olives.

Kids outside playing baseball.

If this sounds familiar to anyone, I’d really appreciate the help!

Posted Apr 9, 2026, 9:11 PM UTC

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