Neil Armstrong is My Uncle & Other Lies Muscle Man McGinty Told Me by Nan Marino

Flap Copy from ARC:" 'Muscle Man McGinty is a squirrely runt, a lying snake, and a pitiful excuse for a ten-year-old. The problem is that no one on Ramble Street knows it, but me.'

Tamara Ann Simpson is tired of all the lies. And boy, oh boy, can Muscle Man McGinty tell some whoppers! When he does the unthinkable and challenges the entire block to a game of kickball, Tamara knows she's found her opportunity to prove to everyonw what a wormy little liar Muscle Man really is. Of course things would be a lot easier if her best friend Kebsie Grobser were here to help her ...

It's the summer of 1969 and the world is getting ready for a young man named Neil Armstrong to make history by walking on the moon. But change happens a bit more slowly in Massapequa Park, and it'll take one giant leap for Tamara to understand the likes of Muscle Man McGinty."
Such a rich and entertaining young adult find! This slim novel has a bully for a narrator, a tall-tale-teller for an enemy and the summer of 1969 as its volatile setting. Tamara has a clear and honest voice - she made me feel the frustrations of her ten-year-old self as though they were my own. The story definitely delivers a few life lessons about loss and rushing to judgement, but does so quietly, without an overbearing moral voice. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it, for young adults and grown-ups alike.