Waylon! by Sara Pennypacker

Now that I have both a granddaughter and an elementary school teacher in the family, I am expanding my reading options down from Young Adult into what are more accurately seen as Children's books, and what a fun time that has been.
Waylon’s finding fourth grade tough, both at school and at home. He is different from most other kids and he finds that most adults just really do not get him.  In school, Arlo Brody, the kid everyone wants to be like, has decided that the boys should be divided into two teams. Waylon just wants to be friends with all the kids, but Arlo says the teams are at war.  He creates a have and have nots situation, where you are either in, or you are on the outside looking in.  Guess where Qaylon ends up. 
A new boy, Baxter, who might be a criminal, seems to want to hang out with Waylon. Meanwhile, Neon (Waylon’s 14-year-old sister formerly known as Charlotte) has taken to wearing all black and locking herself into her room.  Between the two, they form a kind of support team for Waylon, and along with Waylon’s passion is science, he manages to muddle through.