SOLVED. YA Fantasy - Novel about a B-average student boy named Ben. He wears a scarf and comes across multiple other dimensions - has an Italian friend named Sophie. [s]

[Jim]

The main characters' names are Ben and Sophie. The cover had him with his (red-and-gold?) scarf and he was a kid who got bullied in school. I think he discovers the other fantasy worlds by coming across a doe or something in the woods while walking to school, and the plot is along the lines of saving all these dimensions from some type of evil force.

Read this book around 2010-2015 range

[Bonnie]

In this one there is a boy named Tick, not Ben, and he does wear a scarf. Also, there's an Italian girl named Sofia who makes spaghetti.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/4502...

[Rainbowheart]

The Journal of Curious Letters for the first book in Bonnie's suggested series.

[Jim]

D'OH this was it!! Thank you both so much! No clue why I was remembering Ben instead of Tick... but this has been driving me nuts, so seriously thank you for finding this

[Bonnie]

You're welcome. Glad to be of help.