One of the Boys by Daniel Magariel

I read this novel at the suggestion of author Andrew Smith. I completely understand why he was promoting this novel. It was a wonderful, but truly heartbreaking story of two young boys who must bond together to survive the emotional, mental, and physical abuse form their mean-spirited, yet charismatic father.

Through their father's manipulation, they leave Kansas, and their mother, to start a new life in New Mexico. So eager to gain the approval of their dad, the boys are willing to endure the abuse, until they finally realize that they can no longer do it.  It is a gripping story that will surely have you reaching out to help these two boys, only to understand that because they have each other, they may just be able to make it.

From Amazon:

A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
A “gripping and heartfelt” (The New York Times Book Review) story about two young brothers contending with the love they have for their abusive father, One of the Boys is a stunning, compact debut by a major new talent.

The three of them—a twelve-year-old boy, his older brother, their father—have won the war: the father’s term for his bitter divorce and custody battle. They leave their Kansas home and drive through the night to Albuquerque, eager to begin again, united by the thrilling possibility of carving out a new life together. The boys go to school, join basketball teams, make friends. Meanwhile their father works from home, smoking cheap cigars to hide another smell. But soon the little missteps—the dead-eyed absentmindedness, the late night noises, the comings and goings of increasingly odd characters—become worrisome, and the boys find themselves watching their father change, grow erratic, then dangerous.

Set in the sublimely stark landscape of suburban New Mexico and a cramped apartment shut tight to the world, One of the Boys conveys with propulsive prose and extraordinary compassion a young boy’s struggle to hold onto the pieces of his shattered family. Tender, moving and beautiful, Daniel Magariel’s masterful debut is a story of resilience and survival: two foxhole-weary brothers banding together to protect each other from the father they once trusted, but no longer recognize. With the emotional core of A Little Life and the speed of We the Animals, One of the Boys is among the most remarkable debut novels you’ll ever read.

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

Wow!  It is so hard to put in to words the beauty of this novel.  The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead is such a powerful and compelling story of not only race and discrimination, but the horrible atrocities that happened in a Florida reform school. 

Based on the experience of way too many boys at the all too real Dozier School for Boys, Whitehead tells us about it with the experience of Elwood Turner, a boy with a bright future who unfortunately ends up in reform school.  We see how these boys endure the physical and sexual abuse of those in charge, while at the same time hearing how not all boys were lucky enough to make it out alive.

This novel is powerful and heartbreaking.  It is maddening to know that this abuse went on for over a century while our country overlooked the atrocities that so many suffered.  While this is a fictional account, it is based on the real lives of so many boys who "attended" this institution in Marianna, Florida.  It should serve as a memorial not only for those whose lives were taken from them, but also for all of those who were fortunate enough to survive the cruel hands of those they were entrusted to. 



From Amazon:

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

As the Civil Rights movement begins to reach the black enclave of Frenchtown in segregated Tallahassee, Elwood Curtis takes the words of Dr. Martin Luther King to heart: He is "as good as anyone." Abandoned by his parents, but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother, Elwood is about to enroll in the local black college. But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South of the early 1960s, one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future. Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, whose mission statement says it provides "physical, intellectual and moral training" so the delinquent boys in their charge can become "honorable and honest men."

In reality, the Nickel Academy is a grotesque chamber of horrors where the sadistic staff beats and sexually abuses the students, corrupt officials and locals steal food and supplies, and any boy who resists is likely to disappear "out back." Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment, Elwood tries to hold onto Dr. King's ringing assertion "Throw us in jail and we will still love you." His friend Turner thinks Elwood is worse than naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble.

The tension between Elwood's ideals and Turner's skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades. Formed in the crucible of the evils Jim Crow wrought, the boys' fates will be determined by what they endured at the Nickel Academy.

Based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers.

My Favorite Reads of 2017

Putting together this list was definitely a difficult task.  I read so many good books over the course of the past 12 months.  Trying to trim them down to just ten books was impossible (that's why I cheated and added another 5 to the "honorable mentions" list).  With that being said, I made a list that I am not entirely sure of.  I think the top two are pretty set in stone, but after that the order (or even the books in the list) could all change depending on the day of the week...or which way the wind is blowing...or what I ate for lunch.....or......

But here it is.  This is my definitive list of the top 10 books I read this past year.  While most of them were published in 2017, not all were.  This isn't a list of my favorite books from the year, but rather my favorite books I read during 2017.  Each title will be a link that you can click on to go the post for my full review of each book.

1.  A List of Cages by Robin Roe
     -This has been my number one since I read it this summer.  So heartbreaking, yet so full of hope.  This was the easy #1 choice for me.

2. The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz 
     -I love Benjamin Alire Saenz, and this was such a beautiful novel.  It is an incredible story about family and figuring our where you fit in this world of ours.  

3.  Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 
     -A wonderfully told story written in verse.  Even though this book is been out for less than two months, it has already been picked up to be made in to a movie.  

4.  The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King 
     -A.S. King's first YA novel was re-released in October and I'm so glad it was.  This is an incredibly fun novel about a modern day teenage girl who was once a famous pirate in the 1600s.  

5.  The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson
     -Another novel that was so much fun to read, but a book that will definitely make you think about the bigger picture as well.  

6.  One of the Boys by Daniel Mageriel 
     -A beautiful, yet heartbreaking story of two brothers who must stick together to endure and eventually escape the abuse of their father.

7.  Saint Death by Marcus Sedgwick 
     -A story about the dangers and the lure of growing up in the gang filled border town of Juarez, Mexico.  A wonderfully written story.  

8.  Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson
     -A dark and gritty novel about a girl who was convicted of killing a baby when she was just a young child herself.  But is that what really happened?  This one will keep you turning the pages.  

9.  Because of the Sun by Jenny Torres Sanchez  
     -An engrossing novel about family, accepting our past, forgiveness, and resilience.  This one could easily be higher on the list.

10.  The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
     -An intense novel that will make us question whether violence is ever the answer to conflict.  It is dark and heartbreaking, but it is a story worth telling.  

Honorable Mention (I had to find some way to talk about them again):

- The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock   
- Bang by Barry Lyga   
- In Sight of Stars by Gae Polisner 
- In the Path of Falling Objects by Andrew Smith 
- Little Monsters by Kara Thomas 

My Favorite Reads of 2020

Here we go again.  This is such a difficult task.  During this past year I read so many good books and trying to narrow that list down to my 10 favorites (plus a few extras) is nearly impossible.  I love to take some time to look back on what I read and remember books that I didn't realize were still part of the past year.  But putting together my favorite 10 is always hard because I know I am going to have to leave out some books that I love.  These books were not all new in 2020, but most of them are. Clicking on each title will take you to my full review for that particular novel.  I would love for any of you to comment and tell me what you think of my list, thoughts on any of these you may have read, or anything else you may have to say.  Enjoy and hopefully you will find something to add to your TBR pile.  

 

1. We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

    -This is such a powerful and important book.  Sanchez has given us the unbelievable journey of       three young people who are trying to escape their lives in Central America and find a new beginning in the United States.  A really incredible novel!

2. Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson  

    -Jackson is a pre-order, must read for me.  Grown is another breathtaking story from Jackson.  Ripped straight from the headlines, this novel will pull you in from the first pages.

3. Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell

    -This one is nonfiction and tells the story of a high school basketball team in Arizona.  But this one is about so much more than basketball.  This really is the story of the Navajo Nation as told through an extraordinary group of young men and their dedicated coach.

4. Dear Child by Romy Hausmann

    -Full of twists and turns and shout out loud moments, Dear Child will keep you on the edge of your seat as you read this terrifying story.  

5. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

    -Told in verse, this is the story of two sisters who never knew the other existed until tragedy strikes their family.  As usual, Acevedo's beautiful words tell an incredible story.

6. Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang 

    -Dragon Hoops is a nonfiction graphic novel.  Yang tells us the story of the boys basketball team at the high school where he teaches while at the same time learning so much about himself in the process.  A really wonderful book.

7. Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis

    -I love everything from Mindy McGinnis, and this one is no exception.  This story of survival and self-reliance will keep you turning the pages.  On another day, this one could be very near the top of this list.  

8. I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

     -I enjoy a good mystery and I Killed Zoe Spanos definitely fits the bill.  This one was so much fun and will keep you guessing as you try to figure out what really happened.

9. Dear Justyce by Nic Stone

    -This is the powerful sequel to Stone's debut novel, Dear Martin.  The story is in large part about the problems in the juvenile justice system.  Dear Justyce is an important read.

10. Running with the Buffaloes: A Season with Mark Wetmore, Adam Goucher, and The University of Colorado Men's Cross Country Team by Chris Lear

    -Just an incredible story about the Colorado men's cross country team's 1998 season.  There are so many fascinating stories about the phenomenal athletes that were a part of this team and the difficulty of this memorable season.

 Honorable Mention (Listed alphabetically by author)

Thoughts & Prayers by Bryan Bliss  

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson 

Seven Clues to Home by Gae Polisner and Nora Raleigh Baskin 

Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby 

Bye-Bye, Blue Creek by Andrew Smith

The Benefits of Being an Ocotpus by Ann Braden

Zoey is a middle-schooler who has more on her plate than any 12 year old should.  She is taking care of her three young siblings while her mom works as a waitress at the Pizza Pit.  They may not have much, but they have a roof over their heads thanks to Lenny, mom's newest boyfriend.  As Zoey begins to slowly come out of her shell at school, she starts to find her voice and take action.  She no longer wants to see her mom abused by Lenny, even if he does give them a place to stay.  And when her best friend Fuchsia needs her, Zoey is there for her.  She learns that just below the surface is a strength that we all have that allows us to do what is right in the face of adversity. 

The Benefits of Being an Octopus by Ann Braden was a wonderful novel dealing with the difficulties of poverty, the effects of domestic violence, and most importantly finding your voice and strength when things are hard.  It is a story about finding that strength that lives just below the surface, the strength to do what is right, even when it is the hardest thing in the world to do.  

From Amazon:

NPR Best Book of 2018, Bank Street List for Best Children's Books of 2019, Named to the Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher List, Maine's Student Book Award List, Louisiana Young Reader's Choice Award List, Rhode Island Middle School Book Award 2020 List, 2020 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee

Some people can do their homework. Some people get to have crushes on boys. Some people have other things they've got to do.

Seventh-grader Zoey has her hands full as she takes care of her much younger siblings after school every day while her mom works her shift at the pizza parlor. Not that her mom seems to appreciate it. At least there's Lenny, her mom's boyfriend—they all get to live in his nice, clean trailer.

At school, Zoey tries to stay under the radar. Her only friend Fuchsia has her own issues, and since they're in an entirely different world than the rich kids, it's best if no one notices them.

Zoey thinks how much easier everything would be if she were an octopus: eight arms to do eight things at once. Incredible camouflage ability and steady, unblinking vision. Powerful protective defenses.

Unfortunately, she's not totally invisible, and one of her teachers forces her to join the debate club. Even though Zoey resists participating, debate ultimately leads her to see things in a new way: her mom’s relationship with Lenny, Fuchsia's situation, and her own place in this town of people who think they're better than her. Can Zoey find the courage to speak up, even if it means risking the most stable home she's ever had?

This moving debut novel explores the cultural divides around class and the gun debate through the eyes of one girl, living on the edges of society, trying to find her way forward.

In the Path of Falling Objects by Andrew Smith

As usual, Andrew Smith does not disappoint.  Although In the Path of Falling Objects is one of his first novels, I just now read it.  I'm disappointed it took me this long. 

This novel is grimy and gritty and unforgettable.  It is the story of two brothers, Jonah and Simon, who are leaving home in search of their older brother, or maybe their dad, or maybe anyone who can help them figure it all out.  They are picked up in a beautiful car by a strange and dangerous young man and a beautiful young girl. 

The road trip quickly becomes dangerous and violent and the boys will soon have to figure out who they can trust during this journey. 

This is a beautiful story of self discovery, trust, love, and the incredible bond between brothers.  It may take an improbable path to get there, but these two young boys must figure out how important it is to love one another and know that they must always have each others back. 

If you have every read and enjoyed anything by the amazing Andrew Smith, you will love this one just as much. 

From Amazon:

Two brothers leave home looking for their father, and find themselves hitching a ride with a violent killer – here is a road trip from hell.

Jonah and his younger brother, Simon, are on their own. They set out to find what's left of their family, carrying between them ten dollars, a backpack full of dirty clothes, a notebook, and a stack of letters from their brother, who is serving a tour in Vietnam. And soon into their journey, they have a ride. With a man and a beautiful girl who may be in love with Jonah. Or Simon. Or both of them.

The man is crazy. The girl is desperate. This violent ride is only just beginning. And it will leave the brothers taking cover from hard truths about loyalty, love, and survival that crash into their lives.

One more thing: The brothers have a gun. They're going to need it.

After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay

With March Madness in full effect, it's pretty appropriate that my latest read was After the Shot Drops by Randy Ribay.  But while basketball plays a role in this novel, it takes more of a back seat to the real issues.  More than basketball, this is a novel about friendship, family, and compassion.  More than once I found myself talking to or yelling at characters in the book, and by my standards, that makes for an excellent read.  To me, that means that I am invested in the characters and story and I care about what is happening.  All very good signs.

After the Shot Drops is a story about Bunny, one of the best high school basketball players in the country.  It is also a story about Nasir, Bunny's best friend.  Told in alternating perspectives, this is a story about Bunny's decision to leave the high school in his home neighborhood and instead accept a scholarship to St. Sebastian's, an expensive private school with a rich basketball history.  Bunny believes that this is what is best to eventually help provide for his family, both through basketball and the better education he will get.  But he made this decision and subsequent announcement without ever talking to Nasir about it.  Nasir feels like he never really mattered to Bunny, that Bunny cares about basketball over everything else. 

While Bunny is trying to lead his new team to a state title, and fit in along the way, Nasir is starting to spend a lot of his time with his cousin Wallace.  But Wallace and his grandma are about to be evicted from their apartment and nobody by Nasir seems willing to help.  When Wallace makes a series of bets against Bunny, with money he doesn't have, he starts to put himself in an every more dangerous situation.  Nasir and Wallace may have a solution, but it may come at the cost of Nasir's rekindled relationship with Bunny.  And maybe even more than that. 

From Amazon:

A powerful novel about friendship, basketball, and one teen's mission to create a better life for his family. Written in the tradition of Jason Reynolds, Matt de la Peña, and Walter Dean Myers, After the Shot Drops now has 3 starred reviews!

* “Belongs on the shelf alongside contemporary heavy-hitters like Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give, Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds’s All-American Boys, and Nic Stone’s Dear Martin."—School Library Journal, starred review
  
Bunny and Nasir have been best friends forever, but when Bunny accepts an athletic scholarship across town, Nasir feels betrayed. While Bunny tries to fit in with his new, privileged peers, Nasir spends more time with his cousin, Wallace, who is being evicted. Nasir can't help but wonder why the neighborhood is falling over itself to help Bunny when Wallace is in trouble.

When Wallace makes a bet against Bunny, Nasir is faced with an impossible decision—maybe a dangerous one.

Told from alternating perspectives, After the Shot Drops is a heart-pounding story about the responsibilities of great talent and the importance of compassion.

Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell

Canyon Dreams by Michael Powell was my latest read, and I was just blown away.  Powell's storytelling is beautiful and stunning and heartbreaking.  While this book tells of one season of the Chinle High School basketball team, this is a story about so much more than basketball.  It is really a novel about the Navajo people and the struggles they often face living on the reservation.  It is about the history and traditions of the Navajo and how their lives have evolved over the years.  This is a human interest story that will have you cheering for this group of boys as they navigate not only the long basketball season, but lives full of heartache and hope.  I loved this novel so much.  I really can't say enough good things about it.

Note: There is a series on Netflix to accompany this novel.  It is called Basketball or Nothing. 

From Amazon:

The moving story of a Navajo high school basketball team, its members struggling with the everyday challenges of high school, adolescence, and family, and the great and unique obstacles facing Native Americans living on reservations.

Deep in the heart of northern Arizona, in a small and isolated patch of the vast 17.5-million-acre Navajo reservation, sits Chinle High School. Here, basketball is passion, passed from grandparent to parent to child. Rez Ball is a sport for winters where dark and cold descend fast and there is little else to do but roam mesa tops, work, and wonder what the future holds. The town has 4,500 residents and the high school arena seats 7,000. Fans drive thirty, fifty, even eighty miles to see the fast-paced and highly competitive matchups that are more than just games to players and fans.

Celebrated Times journalist Michael Powell brings us a narrative of triumph and hardship, a moving story about a basketball team on a Navajo reservation that shows how important sports can be to youths in struggling communities, and the transcendent magic and painful realities that confront Native Americans living on reservations. This book details his season-long immersion in the team, town, and culture, in which there were exhilarating wins, crushing losses, and conversations on long bus rides across the desert about dreams of  leaving home and the fear of the same.

Tradition by Brendan Kiely

Tradition by Brendan Kiely is a powerful and important novel about privilege, expectations, power, but most importantly about doing what is right.  This book should help to open the eyes of the reader to the dangerous nature of tradition in an every changing world. 

This novel is told through the dual narration of James and Jules, two senior students at the prestigious Fullbrook Academy.  James is a new student, one who doesn't quite fit, but because of his hockey ability has been given a scholarship for the year.  Jules is a legacy, attending the same school her mother graduated from years ago.  She has decided that she is going to take control of her future during her senior year.  But this ruffles the feathers of many other students since she doesn't just fall in line with what is expected of her. 

Both being outcasts at Fullbrook, James and Jules become friends as their senior year progresses.  Along with friends Aileen and Javi, their friendship is put to the test after Jules is sexually assaulted by an ex-boyfriend.  But Ethan has power at the school and is untouchable.  Jules and Aileen are tired of being quiet though, and with the help of James and Javi, they plan on putting an end to the dangerous traditions that continue at Fullbrook.

From Amazon:

From New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Brendan Kiely, a stunning new novel that explores the insidious nature of tradition at a prestigious boarding school.

Prestigious. Powerful. Privileged. This is Fullbrook Academy, an elite prep school where history looms in the leafy branches over its brick walkways. But some traditions upheld in its hallowed halls are profoundly dangerous.

Jules Devereux just wants to keep her head down, avoid distractions, and get into the right college, so she can leave Fullbrook and its old-boy social codes behind. She wants freedom, but ex-boyfriends and ex-best friends are determined to keep her in place.

Jamie Baxter feels like an imposter at Fullbrook, but the hockey scholarship that got him in has given him a chance to escape his past and fulfill the dreams of his parents and coaches, whose mantra rings in his ears: Don’t disappoint us.

When Jamie and Jules meet, they recognize in each other a similar instinct for survival, but at a school where girls in the student handbook are rated by their looks, athletes stack hockey pucks in dorm room windows like notches on a bedpost, and school-sponsored dances push first year girls out into the night with senior boys, the stakes for safe sex, real love, and true friendship couldn’t be higher.

As Jules and Jamie’s lives intertwine, and the pressures to play by the rules and remain silent about the school’s secrets intensify, they see Fullbrook for what it really is. That tradition, a word Fullbrook hides behind, can be ugly, even violent. Ultimately, Jules and Jamie are faced with the difficult question: can they stand together against classmates—and an institution—who believe they can do no wrong?

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

 In Dear Martin, Nic Stone has given us a powerful story about our country's continuing struggle with racism.  Our main character, Justyce McAllister is a black teen who is working hard to succeed in life.  He is an elite Prep school, is near the top of this class, captain of the debate team, and he is headed to an Ivy League school after he graduates.

He has it all until the racism that has always been out starts to creep in to his own life.  He begins a project studying Dr. Martin Luther King and begins to write letters to him.  He is always asking the question, "What would Martin do?"  But as his experiences pile up he starts to wonder if maybe he wasn't asking the right question. 

This powerful debut novel helps the reader to explore the issues of race in our country and maybe find ways to start the process of discussion and eventually healing.  This one is definitely well worth your time. 

From Amazon:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"Raw and gripping." —Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys

A must-read!” —Angie Thomas, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give

Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.

Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.

Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.

We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss

We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss was an emotional and devastating read, but also a story that will make you think about love and friendship and what you will do for those that mean the most to you. 

This hard hitting book flips back and forth between the senior year of Luke and Toby, the two main characters, and letters written by Luke while he sits on death row.  It will keep you flipping the pages as you start to unravel the story of these two boys, boys who have been as close as brothers since they were young.  And as they try and survive their final year of school before being able to escape their small town, the reader will see how decisions have an impact on all of those that are closest to you.  In the end, this story ask us about redemption and whether or not everyone is cable of it.  I know this is one novel that I will be thinking about for a long time.  

From Amazon:

“A compelling and raw story.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“[Bliss dares] his readers not only to see the depths of human complexity, but to care.”—Booklist (starred review)

Luke and Toby have always had each other’s backs. But then one choice—or maybe it is a series of choices—sets them down an irrevocable path. We’ll Fly Away weaves together Luke and Toby’s senior year of high school with letters Luke writes to Toby later—from death row.

Best friends since childhood, Luke and Toby have dreamed of one thing: getting out of their dead-end town. Soon they finally will, riding the tails of Luke’s wrestling scholarship, never looking back. If they don’t drift apart first. If Toby’s abusive dad, or Luke’s unreliable mom, or anything else their complicated lives throw at them doesn’t get in the way.

Tense and emotional, this hard-hitting novel explores family abuse, sex, love, and friendship, and how far people will go to protect those they love. For fans of Jason Reynolds, Marieke Nijkamp, and NPR’s Serial podcast.

Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced copy of Gae Polisner's upcoming novel, Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me.  As I am sure you know, I am a huge fan of Gae and her work.  She has written some incredible stuff, and this story is no different.

JL Markham, 15 years old, has her whole life in front of her.  But these first 15 have not always been easy.  Her once unbreakable friendship with Aubrey has fallen apart, her father has been in California for work for way longer than he was supposed to, and her mom is suffering from a sometimes debilitating mental illness in his absence.  The bright spot in her life is Max Gordon, her nineteen-year-old boyfriend.  A senior at 19, Max is often misjudged, but JL feels like she knows the real Max, a kindhearted, smart, and well-read kid.  But Max is graduating and he is leaving for California.  JL now has to decide if she is going with him.  With her dad already there, her mom spiraling deeper into her illness, and no real relationship with Aubrey, what does she have keeping her home?  JL must figure out who she is and what she wants out of this life.  And in the end she may discover she isn't as fragile as she once believed she was.

Gae Polisner has given us a beautiful coming of age story about friendship, love, self-discovery, and probably most important, resilience.   In JL's character, we have a young girl who is trying to navigate a world where she has lost her closest friend, but has also fallen in love for the first time.  A girl trying to find a balance between her boyfriend and her crumbling family.  A girl who discovers the strength that has been hiding deep inside.  We see a character who eventually realizes that she can withstand much more than she ever thought possible.  I think this is a story that will stick with the reader long after the last page has been turned. 

From Amazon:

"Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is an absolutely real, raw and emotional read, and it's a book that touched my heart with every page." - Katie McGarry, critically acclaimed author of Only a Breath Apart

Fifteen-year-old JL Markham’s life used to be filled with carnival nights and hot summer days spent giggling with her forever best friend Aubrey about their families and boys. Together, they were unstoppable. But they aren’t the friends they once were.

With JL’s father gone on long term business, and her mother suffering from dissociative disorder, JL takes solace in the tropical butterflies she raises, and in her new, older boyfriend, Max Gordon. Max may be rough on the outside, but he has the soul of a poet (something Aubrey will never understand). Only, Max is about to graduate, and he's going to hit the road - with or without JL.

JL can't bear being left behind again. But what if devoting herself to Max not only means betraying her parents, but permanently losing the love of her best friend? What becomes of loyalty, when no one is loyal to you?

Gae Polisner’s Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is a story about the fragility of female friendship, of falling in love and wondering if you are ready for more, and of the glimmers of hope we find by taking stock in ourselves.

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

"I was thinking, what if the world was like that?  What if we only saw one surface of it, the outside, but there was all kinds of other stuff going on, too?  All the time.  Underneath.  But we just don't see it, even if we're part of it?  Even if we're in it?  And what if you had a chance to see a different layer, like flipping a channel or something?  Would you want to look?  Even if what you saw looked like hell?  Or worse?" 


I think this passage from The Marbury Lens sums it all up pretty perfectly.  It was a wild journey from beginning to end.  It was a story that not only makes the main character question what is real, but will make the reader do the same as well. 

This was the first novel of Andrew Smith's that I have read that was written before Winger.  Much like everything else I have read by him, this one is going to stick with me for a while.  It was haunting and beautiful all at once.

From Amazon:

Sixteen-year-old Jack gets drunk and is in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is kidnapped. He escapes, narrowly. The only person he tells is his best friend, Conner. When they arrive in London as planned for summer break, a stranger hands Jack a pair of glasses. Through the lenses, he sees another world called Marbury.

There is war in Marbury. It is a desolate and murderous place where Jack is responsible for the survival of two younger boys.

Conner is there, too. But he's trying to kill them.

Meanwhile, Jack is falling in love with an English girl, and afraid he's losing his mind.


Conner tells Jack it's going to be okay.

But it's not.

Andrew Smith has written his most beautiful and personal novel yet, as he explores the nightmarish outer limits of what trauma can do to our bodies and our minds.

The Cemetary Boys by Heather Brewer

This one was a little different, but definitely enjoyable.  It's pretty dark, but had a fun and adventurous side to it as well.  As Stephen adjusts to life in his father's small home town, he begins to find out that this little town has so deep, dark secrets.  This one definitely had some twists and turns that I did not see coming.  

From Amazon:

Part Hitchcock, part Hinton, this first-ever stand-alone novel from Heather Brewer, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series, uses classic horror elements to tell a darkly funny coming-of-age story about the dangerous power of belief and the cost of blind loyalty.

When Stephen's dad says they're moving, Stephen knows it's pointless to argue. They're broke from paying Mom's hospital bills, and now the only option left is to live with Stephen's grandmother in Spencer, a backward small town that's like something out of The Twilight Zone. Population: 814.

Stephen's summer starts looking up when he meets punk girl Cara and her charismatic twin brother, Devon. With Cara, he feels safe and understood—and yeah, okay, she's totally hot. In Devon and his group, he sees a chance at making real friends. Only, as the summer presses on, and harmless nights hanging out in the cemetery take a darker turn, Stephen starts to suspect that Devon is less a friend than a leader. And he might be leading them to a very sinister end. . . .

Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley

Deposing Nathan by Zack Smedley is such an intense and engaging novel.  It grabs your attention from the first pages and doesn't let go until Nate tells us his whole story.  This is a story that deals with so many important topics like identity, self-acceptance, friendship, family, and trauma.  Smedley has given us a unique story that will leave you gasping as the truth is finally revealed.

Nate has been stabbed.  Cam was arrested and charged with the crime.  But the story of these best friends and what led to the events is far from clear.  Now Nate must tell his story in a deposition for the case.  As he goes back to the beginning of his friendship with Cam, he gives us the details of their friendship, their love, and most often their arguments.  But in telling his story, Nate starts to come to grips with his reality and what it means to accept who he really is.  

From Amazon:


For sixteen years, Nate was the perfect son―the product of a no-nonsense upbringing and deep spiritual faith. Then he met Cam, who pushed him to break rules, dream, and accept himself. Conflicted, Nate began to push back. With each push, the boys became more entangled in each others' worlds...but they also spiraled closer to their breaking points. And now all of it has fallen apart after a fistfight-turned-near-fatal-incident―one that's left Nate with a stab wound and Cam in jail.

Now Nate is being ordered to give a statement, under oath, that will send his best friend to prison. The problem is, the real story of what happened between them isn't as simple as anyone thinks. With all eyes on him, Nate must make his confessions about what led up to that night with Cam...and in doing so, risk tearing both of their lives apart.

Stick by Andrew Smith

Stick was another wonderful read by Andrew Smith.  Like everything else I have read by him, I loved it.  Smith provides the reader with another wonderful voice in that of Stark "Stick" McClellan.  He makes you want to root for and rescue Stick and his brother Bosten as they deal with the terrible situation they are stuck in with their abusive parents.  When Bosten finally runs away, we want nothing more than for Stick to find his brother and become whole again.  Smith again gives us a story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful all in one.  Only a couple more books to check off my Andrew Smith list and I will be all caught up.   

From Amazon:

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he's tall and thin) is bullied for being "deformed" - he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can't defend one another from their abusive parents.

When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love - and his brother.

From Andrew Smith, the Printz-Honor author of Grasshopper Jungle and Winger, this is a powerful young adult novel full of joy, heartbreak, and survival.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds was a highly enjoyable read.  This story is so much about family and what it should mean to us.  It is about being there to take care of those you love and doing what it takes to make sure they are taken care of.  And that may not always be easy, but it is necessary.  At times it could be easy to give up on people, but in this book, Reynolds shows us that sticking by their side, even when it is difficult, is maybe the bravest thing you can do.  If you have read anything by Jason Reynolds before, you will enjoy this one as well.  

From Amazon:

In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head—even if you’re totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut that Publishers Weekly calls “a funny and rewarding read” captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.

A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don’t really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.

Nah, not his thing. Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble—and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes; it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.

And then there’s Needles. Needles is Noodles’s brother. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it.

Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be…somewhere they never should've been—where the people aren’t so friendly, and even less forgiving.