REVIEW: Boy21 by Matthew Quick

Title: Boy21

Author: Matthew Quick

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: March 5, 2012

Pages: 250

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads:  Basketball has always been an escape for Finley. He lives in gray, broken Bellmont, a town ruled by the Irish Mob, drugs, violence, and racially charged rivalries. At home, he takes care of his disabled grandfather, and at school he’s called “White Rabbit”, the only white kid on the varsity basketball team. He’s always dreamed of getting out somehow with his girlfriend, Erin. But until then, when he puts on his number 21, everything seems to make sense.

Russ has just moved to the neighborhood. A former teen basketball phenom from a privileged home, his life has been turned upside down by tragedy. Cut off from everyone he knows, he now answers only to the name Boy21—his former jersey number—and has an unusual obsession with outer space.

As their final year of high school brings these two boys together, “Boy21” may turn out to be the answer they both need.

Review: This book has been on my radar for awhile - I’ve seen it on other bloggers’ lists, I know of other teachers who use it for a read aloud - and, yet, I’ve never picked it up. When I saw it on the 2106 Abe Lincoln list, I decided now was the time to read this book - I am SO glad I did! Since having Ella, reading hasn’t been a focus for me; Boy21 is the first book I’ve read, start to finish, in one day since becoming a mom.

I’m not quite sure what it is that drew me so completely into the story: the characters, the storyline, or the ease of the writing. I know I started the book because of the plot. I have a lot of boy readers that always want sports books. Admittedly, this is a reading gap of mine. When I saw Boy21 focused on basketball, I knew this could be a great recommendation for some of my students. Yes, it is about basketball. It’s a common thread throughout the book. But, really, this book goes WELL beyond sports (like how Winger isn’t really a book about rugby). As a reader, you feel compassion, you feel uncomfortable, you feel stunned...it’s all there.

Quick gets the reader to feel so many feels through his beautifully developed characters. I know I want a friend like Finley. Someone who will do anything for you even when he doesn’t want to. Someone who is unspeakably loyal and loves what he loves so fiercely. And, Russ/Boy21? My heart breaks for him. When you see his heartbreak on the page, you can’t do anything but want to reach in and wrap him up in a hug.

So, even though this book appeals to the sports crowd, it goes well beyond that. It teaches the reader about people, about how we handle tragedies that might come out way. Would you be like Finely and erase them from your memory, or would you be like Russ and create another world for you to exist in? Either way, we need to think about what those around us are going through before we jump to conclusions - that’s what Quick teaches us through his novel.

Who Should Read It? This book appeals to many different readers. I know my sports readers will pick this one up because of the basketball thread, but I also know fans of realistic fiction (like myself) will fly through this book. It has tension (you don’t really know Finley’s story until the very end), it has great characters, and it is a quick read - a perfect combination for readers of all kinds.

REVIEW: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Title: Counting by 7s

Author: Holly Goldberg Sloan Website Facebook Twitter

Publisher: Dial

Release Date: August 29,2013

Pages: 384

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: In the tradition of Out of My Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird, this is an intensely moving middle grade novel about being an outsider, coping with loss, and discovering the true meaning of family.

Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.

Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.

First Thoughts: Beautiful story with a beautiful voice! All the Willows of the world - misunderstood kids experiencing nothing but heartbreak - deserve an ending like Willow Chance’s.

I completely understand the long list of awards for this book: An Amazon Best Book of the Year. A B.E.A. BUZZ BOOK 2013. A Junior Library Guild Selection. A Kids Indie Next List #4 of Top Ten Autumn 2013. A Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee 2014-2015 Master List. It’s a beautifully written middle grade book that crosses over into young adult and even adult (I sure enjoyed it).

Although this book is realistic fiction, I’m not sure how believable it is - there are a lot of inconsistencies and predictable moments - and yet,  I don’t really think that matters. What matters is Willow, and she is wonderful. Loved, loved, loved her voice throughout the novel. As I read her story, I could picture her in many of my misunderstood students (I also feel like Willow is on the spectrum even though it’s never explicitly stated). Students who socially struggle, students with unstable home lives, students who are too smart for their own good - Willow embodies all of them.

To me, the most beautiful piece of the novel is its unlikely relationships. Willow, Dell (her counselor), Pattie (foster-like mother), Mai (happen-chance friend), and Mai’s brother (who just might be my favorite character) come together to form the most unlikely of families. And, their message about family is why I loved this book so much: family isn’t about blood, family is about who you love, trust, and rely on. So, even though Willow’s story is a heartbreaker, the ending is one of beauty and joy (sorry for the spoiler).

I suppose I can’t say it much better than the list below. Here are seven reasons why you should read Counting by 7s (from the publisher). I wholeheartedly agree with all of them, especially number 7 (fitting, right?):

1. Friendship.  It doesn't always happen easily, especially for Willow.  But now she has met Mai, a girl with enough energy to tackle the impossible, and one who sees Willow for who she really is.
2. Oddballs. We all feel like outsiders sometimes.  Willow the genius -- who has mastered several foreign languages and medical-school textbooks all by the age of twelve -- certainly doesn't easily fit in with the crowd.  Neither do the other people in this story filled with terrific, memorable oddballs.
3. Hobbies.  It helps to have something interesting to focus on, such as Willow's passion for nature.  When tragedy strikes, it is the simple act of growing sunflowers that first brings her some pleasure again.
4. Laughing and crying. But despite the tragedy, this is a beautiful, satisfying book -- the kind that makes you see your own life in a new way.  And through the heartache, you will find yourself laughing -- at the wonderfully absurd moments that happen even on the hardest days.
5. Miracles.  Those unexpectedly silly moments are miraculous.  This is a story filled with everyday miracles.
6. Family.  And the most miraculous thing of all is a loving family.
7. Willow Chance herself, whose heart leads her on a path to belonging -- a path that is surprising, exhilarating, and without a doubt, one you will never forget.

Final Thoughts: One of those books with a character that simply touches your heart! You can’t help but fall in love with Willow and root for the happy ending she so deserves!

Who Should Read It? Although it’s technically a middle grade book, I think it has mass appeal for readers of all ages. It’s a heartfelt story that connects on so many levels. I know I’ll be adding it to my high school classroom library. Fans of Wonder should add this to their TBR list. It doesn’t have a lot of action and adventure, but it’s a beautiful look at life through some unlikely characters.

REVIEW: Winger by Andrew Smith

Title: Winger

Author: Andrew Smith Website Twitter Facebook

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Pages: 448

Buy It! amazon

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Summary from Goodreads: Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

First Thoughts: Wow! Just WOW!

I’m writing this review weeks after finishing the book - not something I normally like to do. I’ve let this review just sit here; I don’t feel like I can perfectly formulate what I want to say, and I want to do this book justice, because WOW does it deserve it! Winger left me uplifted and yet heartbroken, it made me laugh and then cry, it left a serious imprint on my soul. My review cannot possibly do this book justice, and I’m just going to have to be okay with that.

This book is just so honest and real (something you don’t always get, even in entertaining and well-written young adult fiction). Plus, it’s not pretty; everything doesn’t fit perfectly together, and it’s definitely not tied up in a pretty bow at the end. Hence, the reality of the story. Life isn’t perfect, life isn’t pretty, and everything doesn’t resolve nicely even though our studied plot diagram would have us believe so. Smith beautifully writes in unexpected turns, lost friendships, terrible but understandable decisions and frustrating (for the reader) conclusions. Again, real life.

As for the ending, it’s heartbreaking. Smith, through his narrator - Ryan Dean, had me literally laughing out loud for the first 90% of the book (I got some weird looks from my husband and dog). Then all of a sudden...BAM! Heart officially broken. To be honest, this really upset me at first. I was so angry; why couldn’t it end tied up in a nice pretty bow? I stewed on it for days. Even though I LOVED the book and immediately recommended it to every single student, my broken heart wouldn’t mend. Then, a few days later, I realized how necessary the ending is to Smith’s story. Would it have been a wonderful book without the tear-shedding moment at the end? Absolutely! Would it have been a powerful book with a lasting, oh-so-important message for readers? No, it wouldn’t. I get it, I appreciate it, and honestly, it makes me love the book even more (although, admittedly, not at first).

As for that laugh-out-loud narrator, Ryan Dean? Add him to my list of all-time favorite fictional characters! I LOVE Ryan Dean. He’s funny yet sensitive. He’s loveable yet infuriating (I mean seriously, stick to Annie and Annie alone!). And, holy cow is he all boy; I think I learned more about the fourteen year-old “boy brain” than I ever needed to know! He dreams about girls (a lot) but is afraid to even kiss the girl he likes. He draws sometimes inappropriate sketches and cartoons on his homework and yet he is completely fine passing them to friends (even when they are the subjects of the cartoons). He is a narrator I won’t soon forget and one I loved reading and rooting for.

Although I could go on-and-on about my love for this book (while still not doing it justice), just two small side notes. One: I liked the sports aspect of the rugby team; many of the guys don’t like each other as people, but they will stand up for and defend each other until the end of time. Two: if Ryan Dean is my favorite character, Joey is an extremely close second; every crazy boy, like Ryan Dean, needs a voice of reason, like Joey, for a best friend.

Final Thoughts: It’s just a special book. Simple as that. Special.

Who Should Read It? Everyone! I enjoyed this book so much, and I really truly think everyone else will too. More specifically though, I plan to get this book into as many boys’ hands as possible. It’s a book that speaks to everyone, but I so often struggle to find the perfect boy narrator- this is it.