Tag Archive | love

Peanut, by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe (book review) – allergy joke gone wrong

Feb1

book cover of Peanut by Ayun Halliday and Paul Hoppe, published by Random HouseTransferring into a new high school,
Everyone else has been here forever.
How can someone get noticed in such a crowd?

Peanut allergies are certainly no laughing matter, but one casual conversation in a fast-food place sets in motion Sadie’s whole new persona to make her unusual enough to stand out at Plainfield Community High School.

Once she makes new friends, she’d like to drop her fake allergy, but doesn’t have the courage to do it. And no way is she telling her mom about all this. How long can Sadie keep up her double life?

If you can’t find Peanut  at your local library, ask them to order it. Or try an independent bookstore which may have gotten copies on the graphic novel’s December publication day.

So, how far would you go to be noticed by “the right people” at your school or workplace?
**kmm

Book Info: Peanut / Ayun Halliday, illustrated by Paul Hoppe. Schwartz & Wade Books (Random House Children’s Books), 2012. [author’s website]  [illustrator’s website]  [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My Book Talk: So not fair, having to move during high school! Sadie is sure everyone at PCHS has known each other forever and won’t have time for new friends. When she decides to stand out by pretending that she has a severe allergy to peanuts, there’s no turning back.

The med-alert bracelet ordered in secret is on for school, off at home. Her “about me” essay for homeroom details the life-threatening incident that just a single peanut caused. The school nurse is understandably miffed when she doesn’t have the proper paperwork about her medical condition, but does let Sadie keep the emergency epi-pen in her backpack instead of the office – which is good, since Sadie really doesn’t have the prescription-only device.

She does make friends in Plainfield after all, like Lou, who would also like to cancel PE forever, and Zoo, the cute guy who’s decided that technology doesn’t make life better and forswears computers and cellphones. Zoo’s communications are intricate origami notes, which he delivers to friends’ homes by bike, between trips to the library to consult printed reference books for homework (done with pen and paper, of course). Finding Zoo’s notes in her locker makes Sadie’s day special.

So, Zoo and Sadie are becoming more-than-friends. Why can’t she just come clean about not really being allergic to peanuts? How can he come to her house when Zoo might say something that makes Mom suspicious about all of Sadie’s online research about epi-pens and allergies? Why did she decide on such a radical way to stand out at her new school?

Big bake sale, big muffins, big trouble! What happens next? Read Peanut to find out! Hoppe uses sparing amounts of red to accent his black and white drawings of the Plainfield Community High School crowd as Halliday’s story of trying-too-hard to fit in follows Sadie through her first semester in a new town. (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Cheers to authors from Down Under! (fiction) – Australia Day

Jan25

Australia Day is tomorrow, so let’s look at some great BooksYALove by authors from Down Under.

book cover of Takeshita Demons by Cristy Burne published by Frances Lincoln Childrens Books

Cristy Burne writes adventurous tales about Miku who encounters many creatures from Japanese folklore, like Takeshita Demons (my review) who followed her family to London and  The Filth-Licker (review here) that her classmates meet up with at camp.

Not sure if Sherryl Clark herself has heard the dead, but her character Sasha in Dying to Tell Me  (my review) certainly can! Visions of blood and death in sleepy little Manna Creek at the edge of the Outback…

A being condemned to inhabit another body as camouflage, over and over; she calls herself Mercy  (my review) in the first book of the series by Rebecca Lim. Book 2, Exile, is in my overflowing to-be-read pile and promises a few more clues about who Mercy might be and why she’s existing this way.

book cover of Butterflies by Susanne Gervay published by Kane Miller

Only males may become Dragoneye lords, but one young woman knows she has the power to mind-link with dragons in Alison Goodman’s Eon  (my review) and must save her world in Eona  (my review), both now available in paperback.

Susanne Gervay interviewed many teen burn patients as she wrote Butterflies (my review), which follows Katherine through surgery, school worries, and her choices for the future.

She expected snow, festivals and historic shrines, but there was no way to predict that Hannah’s Winter (my review) in Japan would include ancient evil spirits and a donut-throwing ghost! Kierin Meehan packs plenty of mystery and historical tidbits into this intriguing story.

book cover of I Lost My Mobile at the Mall by Wendy Harmer published by Kane Miller

Elly has such bad luck! I Lost My Mobile at the Mall, she cries to her parents, who tell her that she’s not getting another cell phone from them. Wendy Harmer ably turns her comic touch to this too-common young adult crisis (my review).

The Reformed Vampire Support Group  by Catherine Jinks got to the bestseller list, but I snuck it onto BooksYALove anyway. Be sure you meet this Sydney self-help group that finally has to venture out of its decades-old comfort zone to help someone else (my review).

Mary Arrigan follows a family from Ireland’s Potato Famine to the goldfields of Australia in historical fiction of a time period that we usually don’t see. Surely the dream of Etsy’s Gold  (my review) can come true if they work hard enough?

book cover of The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar published by Candlewick

A gentle story of love, loss, and friendship starts and ends in the mural-painted rooms of The Visconti House  in a quiet Australian country town – my review of Elsbeth Edgar’s debut novel here.

Stolen: a Letter to my Captor, by Lucy Christopher, might be the scariest book on this list, as it tells of a carefully plotted kidnapping that lands Gemma far, far in the Outback in terrible danger (my review).

Check out these stellar books from Aussie authors today at your local library or independent bookstore!

**kmm

These are among the 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com. All review copies and cover images courtesy of their respective publishers.

Butterfly Clues, by Kate Ellison (fiction) – obsession, loss, mystery

Jan21
book cover of The Butterfly Clues by Kate Ellison published by Egmont

If the arrangement is precise,
life will fall into place.
If the collection is balanced,
personalities will align again.
If manipulating objects could only heal people…

Lo isn’t hoarding; she’s trying to make sense of hurtful events that seem so random. Even if it puts her in danger, investigating in a bad part of town, compelled to steal things to add to the display of possible answers…to find a killer, to discover why her brother left, to find herself.

It’s No Name-Calling Week, highlighting ways we can prevent bullying behavior, put-downs, and harassment, like Lo experienced with the acid-burned photos stuck on her school locker.

Just out in paperback (look for the blue cover with red butterfly), you’ll also find The Butterfly Clues  in hardback at your local library or independent bookstore.

How much can we rearrange things and people?
**kmm

Book info: The Butterfly Clues / Kate Ellison. Egmont USA, hardback 2012, paperback 2013. [author’s website] [publisher site] [book trailer]

My Recommendation:  Lo is guided to each object she takes, compelled to arrange them just-so, trying desperately to be unnoticed at school like she is at home, since her brother disappeared. She ignores those who call her Penelope, like Mom ignores the outside world now.

She taps significant patterns to keep her safe as she roams neighborhoods to stay out of the too-quiet house. A bang, shattering glass, a bullet in the brick wall nearby – Lo checks the news online later to discover that a young woman was killed at that moment, in that place, jewelry stolen.
At the flea market, a butterfly figurine calls to her to be taken (but-ter-fly, 3 perfect syllables). Lo recognizes it from the news article, stolen from the dead girl Sapphire, she just knows it. Seller says it was in a dumpster, but who’d stick around a murder scene to steal costume jewelry and knick-knacks, then dump them? Something is off-balance here, and Lo can’t stand for anything to be unbalanced, so she starts to investigate.
Visiting the gentlemen’s club where Sapphire worked, talking to homeless people, Lo can’t stop looking for things that will unmask the killer. Meeting Flynt the artist is an unexpected bonus, a joy, but can he be trusted not to tell what Lo is doing in this bad part of Cleveland on her own?
When the phone rings at home, telling her to mind her own business, Lo is a little worried. When acid-scorched photos appear on her school locker, telling her to back off, she gets anxious. When she sees Flynt’s tattoo and remembers a clue in Sapphire’s house, she gets frantic.
Will the killer come to her home?
Will Flynt deny the connection that Lo has discovered?
Will she be able to keep her counting compulsions under control long enough to convince the police to do something?

(One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Adaptation, by Malinda Lo (fiction) – bird disasters, brain waves, conspiracy, love and mystery

Jan14
book cover of Adaptation by Malinda Lo published by Little Brown

All flights grounded due to bird accidents.
Panic, chaos, cellphone systems overloaded.
Desert car crash, coma, 27 days lost…

Lucky their flight was delayed, but their headlong car trip from Phoenix to San Francisco lands Reese and David in a super-secret hospital near Area 51– and it gets weirder.

Extraterrestrials, conspiracy, visions that Reese can’t explain and can’t erase, comfort in Amber’s arms, what is going on??

As authors often do, Lo wrote Adaptation  while listening to playlists of songs that evoked different characters and scenes; listen to her 12 favorites here and read her reasons for selecting each one.

So, aliens among us or not??
**kmm

Book info: Adaptation / Malinda Lo. Little Brown, 2012. [author’s website] [publisher site] [book trailer]

My Recommendation: All flights cancelled due to multiple plane crashes with birds? After her dismal performance at the national tournament, now her debate partner David will be stuck with Reese even longer, as they drive from Phoenix to San Francisco – and it all goes crazy.

Speeding across the Nevada desert near Area 51, their rental car flips when a bird flies into it, and the teens wake up 27 days later in a secret military hospital. Confidentiality statements signed, they’re taken home to their very anxious parents, and Reese’s dreams (or nightmares) begin.
She sees doctors from the secret hospital in town – or does she? David doesn’t call her anymore – did he ever realize that Reese had a crush on him? These dreams of dripping yellow, of a red here, a red there – after-effects of the concussion?
Meeting Amber was a welcome change, with her punky pink hair and her see-it-all attitude for the city she’s visiting while she apartment-sits for her uncle. Reese is a bit mystified that Amber is attracted to such an average person as herself, but relishes the attention and affection.
Her best friend Julian helps Reese paint her bedroom to match the glossy reds and yellows of her dream-nightmare-dream, asks her more about Amber than she really knows, and answers the call for help when David finally contacts her to discuss his dreams, the same dreams, the same doctors seen where they shouldn’t be.
How could her scars heal so quickly?
Is Amber more than she seems? Has their relationship gone too far, too fast?
Why are those doctors following Reese and David?
The city is different without bird song, without any birds anywhere…   
(One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

What Happens Next, by Colleen Clayton (fiction) – getting past rape, finding redemption

Jan10
book cover of What Happens Next by Colleen Clayton published by Poppy Books

Ski trip!
Fresh snow, new guys, curfew broken.
Now Sid is broken, too.

But she won’t let anyone help her past the attack, won’t even tell anyone what happened. The coping mechanisms that she’s chosen aren’t helping her cope too well either.

What can a slacker like Corey teach this former honor student about trust or friendship or caring what happens…

Post this info where people can find it: National Sexual Assault Hotline | 1.800.656.HOPE | Free. Confidential. 24/7. or search for a local crisis center at http://centers.rainn.org/

Grab this debut novel today at your local library or independent bookstore and cheer for Sid as she works past her outrage to a better future. The author gives us Sid’s playlist, too – you can tell a lot about someone by the music they choose.
**kmm

Book info: What Happens Next / Colleen Clayton. Poppy/Little Brown, 2012. [author’s website] [publisher site]

My Recommendation: Meeting cool college guy Dax was the best thing about the high school ski trip for Cassidy, until he convinced her to sneak out after curfew to a night she cannot remember.

Back home, Sid’s grades slide, her single-parent mom can’t figure out what’s wrong, her friends eventually give up trying to jolly her back to normal. Sid drops her advanced classes and drifts into “A/V Club” instead. Everyone knows that A/V Club is just Corey-the-Stoner hanging out in the DVD storage room until someone needs a video, so he won’t try to break through Sid’s new protective shell to help her get over things.
Except that he manages to say things that make her think, nudge her to try feeling good about herself again by exercising, make her wonder why she can’t remember anything about being with Dax – and he has no clue that he’s doing it. Nice that he always smells like the bakery where he works before school, that he brings new pastries for her to taste-test, that he’ll just listen if she ever wants to talk.
Why do they call him Stoner when she’s never seen him act druggie?
Could Sid ever be more than friends with Corey?
Will she ever find the key to the locked door of that blank ski trip night?
The author’s time spent working with teens in bad situations really shines through in this debut novel, as readers root for Sid to break through the barricades that her mind put up and uncover what happened with Dax so she can heal herself.

 (One of 6,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

Being Friends With Boys, by Terra Elan McVoy (book review) – “one of the guys” in the band or more?

Oct26

book cover of Being Friends With Boys by Terra Elan McVoy published by Simon PulseBeing “one of the guys” is better than being ignored by former-best-friends…
Being unadorned is better than her stepsisters‘ cloud of perfume and makeup…
Being shut out by her best friend of all time is pain unbearable…

Charlotte has long been content to be the behind-the-scenes arranger-of-everything for the band, but when lead singer Oliver takes credit for all her lyrics, she starts to question the status quo.

Is it time for Char to break away from Sad Jackal like her best pal Trip did or should she stay and grab the spotlight for her own talents?

Dealing with insiders and outsiders,with people who’ve moved away and those who refuse to move on, with seeing past the surface to discover the truth, Charlotte’s golden summer moves into cooler weather and changes in the band, its members, and her outlook.

While not a novel in verse as her earlier After the Kiss  (my no-spoiler review here), McVoy’s newest book features true, realistic spoken and unsaid dialogue along with Charlotte’s soul-baring lyrics. Find  both books at your local library or independent bookstore.
**kmm

Book info: Being Friends With Boys / Terra Elan McVoy. Simon Pulse, 2012. [author’s website] [publisher site] [book trailer] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My Book Talk: Being considered “one of the guys” by Oliver, Trip, and Abe is fine with Charlotte, as she gives them the girl-perspective on life and keeping their band together behind the scenes. When a new guy joins the band and encourages her to grab the mike, their whole dynamic changes and Char isn’t sure if the guys can handle it.

She and Trip have been friends forever, but after he and lead singer Oliver have “creative differences” Trip leaves the band, and Sad Jackal must audition a new lead guitar player. Now who’s going to create all the melodies for Char’s lyrics?

Char has to deal with Trip’s sudden distance at school, her stepsisters’ giggle-pop taste in music at home, and weird vibrations at band practice, as new guitarist Fabian starts treating her like a girl. New lyrics just stream from her pen as her stepsister has a messy break-up, as other friendships ebb and flow… and Sad Jackal is hired to play at the school’s Halloween dance.

Trying to balance her commitment to the band with tough school classes, she agrees to be brilliant slacker Benji’s study buddy despite Trip’s dire warnings. As Halloween nears, Charlotte allows her stepsisters to give her beauty treatments and lets Fabian coax her into singing harmonies that turn into full-blown solos.

Does Fabian really see her as a girl instead of just another member of the band?
Can Oliver deal with Charlotte taking the microphone or does he want her to stay out of his spotlight?
What if her need to sing the stories she writes as lyrics is stronger than the band’s need for her to smooth out all the details for them?
And why is Trip avoiding all her calls now, when she needs his viewpoints most of all?

Rooted in Atlanta’s alternative music scene, Charlotte struggles to decide if it’s time to stop just Being Friends With Boys and get going with her life in music and beyond. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Fathomless, by Jackson Pearce (book review) – mermaids, psychics, death and desire

Oct1

book cover of Fathomless by Jackson Pearce published by Little BrownBeautiful swimmers,
entrancing songs,
death in the sea.

Walled-off memories,
Screams and forgetfulness,
how can seeing a person’s past be a gift?

The legend of the Little Mermaid takes a psychic and sinister turn in this shivery story of remembrance, loneliness, and love.

Jackson talked about Fathomless  at its September 2012 release party (video), reminding readers that her Fairy Tale Retellings series books are not for the faint of heart, hearkening back to the dark originals by the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and others.

You’ll love the tie-ins with Sweetly  (my no-spoiler recommendation here) and Sisters Red  (#1 recommended here), so grab them all at your local library or independent bookstore now.

Which fairy tale should Jackson retell next?
**kmm

Book info: Fathomless (Fairy Tale Retellings #3) / Jackson Pearce. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012.  [author’s website] [publisher site] Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

My Book Talk: Reluctantly, Celia tags along as Jane and Anne finagle gifts and attention from cute boys in the vacation crowds. But it’s the shy triplet who runs to rescue a guy who’s fallen from the dock, and she’s the one who encounters his true rescuer under the waves.

It’s boring to spend summer in their boarding school apartment when no family members can take them in, so Jane and Anne practice their talents on the seaside tourists, seeing into their minds and into their futures with just the lightest touch. But Celia’s gift of seeing someone’s past seems so useless that she tries to ignore it, like she tries to convince her sisters not to manipulate others with theirs.

>Offshore, an aging shipwreck hosts a colony of young swimmers whose land-based details are slowly washing away with the tides – skin colors all turning to seafoam, memories of family and names drifting into the depths. Each girl was brought into the sea by an ‘angel’ who may call her back some day. Or perhaps it’s singing a mortal boy into her arms that will change her, by taking all his breath with a kiss.

>So why does Lo take Jude back to the surface when he falls from the dock instead of kissing him until he breathed no more? When Celia wades out and drags him onto the sand, why does she let folks think she was his sole rescuer? How can she tell Jude that the song he remembers from the sea was sung by Lo’s rival, luring him to die? How can Celia’s gift of seeing someone’s past help Lo find her true self and peace? How can she stop her talent long enough to hold Jude in her own arms?

>A mermaid story with psychic twists, Jackson Pearce’s third Fairy Tale Retelling of a classic with undercurrents of the unexpected is a companion to Sweetly  and Sisters Red  that will leave readers breathless. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com)

Wentworth Hall, by Abby Grahame (fiction) – country estate, family secrets uncovered

Sep26
book cover of Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame published by Simon Schuster

An upper-crust British country estate,
filled with portraits, servants, and secrets…
welcome to Wentworth Hall.

In the peaceful golden years before WWI,  new arrivals coincide with public whispers of old concerns that the Darlingtons would much rather keep silent.

Who’s blabbing to the newspaper about the county’s most-influential family – the new French nanny?
The teen cousins about to inherit a diamond mine fortune?
The stablemaster fearing Lord Darlington’s cost-cutting plans?

A nice bit of mystery combined with historical fiction, Wentworth Hall  will please readers who enjoy stories about families and relationships, as well as those who adore the Downton Abbey television series. 

Did the butler do it? Where has Maggie’s crazy independent streak gone? What’s her little sister Lila up to?  Find out in hardback or eBook at your local library or independent bookstore.
**kmm

Book info: Wentworth Hall / Abby Grahame. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2012.  [publisher site] 

My Recommendation:

Maggie’s sojourn in France has calmed the impetuous teen, but her return to Wentworth Hall in 1912 is rattled by the arrival of Teddy and Jessica. The recently orphaned twins need to stay at the family estate for a few months, just until they turn 18, but their time in the English countryside promises to be anything but quiet.
Perhaps some of the vast fortune they’ll inherit soon will stay there, hopes Lord Darlington. Maintaining Wentworth Hall and its large staff is quite costly, and his investments haven’t done well at all. And now Lady Darlington’s new baby boy, the expensive nanny from France, a stable full of horses – where do the expenses end? Marrying his elder son to Jessica Fitzhugh, or Maggie to dashing Teddy, or both…hmm.
Keeping up appearances in British society is priceless, so when the local paper prints scandalous articles which can only refer to the Darlingtons, everyone at Wentworth Hall begins to look over their shoulders – someone inside the estate is writing the articles, hinting at secrets that have long been hidden.
What does the writer want from the family? How far will they go to stop the newspaper stories? Can any shared secret truly stay hidden?  How can Maggie repair the friendships that she broke off when she went abroad?
A treat for fans of genteel British nobility, family histories, and mystery, Wentworth Hallholds more than its share of secrets.(One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

XVI, by Julia Karr (fiction) – in future, 16 isn’t so sweet

Sep24
book cover of XVI by Julia Carr published by Penguin

Sweet Sixteen for American girls can be cake and candles, maybe new driver’s license…

But a 16th birthday in Nina’s future Chicago means no more protection from sexual assault.

Now added to the government stranglehold on the Media which bombards city-dwellers with advertisements around the clock and all-pervasive surveillance is a mystery about Nina’s long-dead father, who may be alive after all!

The over-sexualization of girls by the media has certainly begun. Is it time for young women (and those who protect them) to fight back before a coercive XIV  society takes away their freedom?

While sexuality is a main theme of XVI,  it is not sexually explicit, so read it now, then rush to your local library or independent bookstore for more of Nina’s story in the sequel, Truth.

Book info: XIV / Julia Karr. Speak, 2011.  [author’s website]    [publisher site]    

My Recommendation: 

Nina’s friends can’t wait to get their XVI tattoo, showing they’re old enough for anything, but this 15 year doesn’t want to be a “sex-teen” that guys can have at will.
Her best friend Sandy might stay a virgin to get into FeLS to move up a social tier or might succumb to the constant media sexteen hype. Nina will do anything to stay out of the program, especially since her mom’s creepy married boyfriend Ed is a FeLS Chooser. If only her dad hadn’t died on the night she was born, forcing them from Tier 5 into the poverty of Cementville…
A bare wrist and implanted GPS should keep her safe in 23rdcentury Chicago, but Nina has seen violence against young teen girls that the Governing Council denies. Lately, there have been so many police forays looking for NonCons rebelling against the GC, sudden city-wide silences in the constant Media vid streams, heightened audio surveillance everywhere.
And now her mom has been attacked, leaving Nina to care for her little half-sister in her grandparents’ tiny welfare apartment. Mom’s last words warn her to keep Dee away from Ed and reveal that Nina’s own father might still be alive and hiding out in Chicago!
As Nina looks into her parents’ past, she meets people who knew them both in their youth and realized that their anti-GC opinions would put their lives in danger. Sal and Wei at her new school are level-headed about XVI, cautious about accepting Media news as complete truth.
Could her dad really be alive after all this time? Why did Mom want to make sure Ed never saw Dee again? Why is the GC suddenly stepping up security? What’s the truth behind FeLS?

Set in a future that divides the Haves and Have-Nots further apart with each generation, XVI considers questions of personal liberty, freedom of thought, and social justice through Nina’s eyes and heart. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.

In Honor, by Jessi Kirby (fiction) – a last wish, a road trip, a journey of healing

Jul4
Book cover of In Honor by Jessi Kirby published by Simon Schuster

Happy Fourth of July!

Remembering the freedoms that we cherish in the USA, the courage of the men and women who defend them, and the sacrifices made by their families while they’re away from home.

Honor lost her parents while a toddler and now her only brother is coming home to Texas in a casket. Full military honors at a funeral can’t ever replace his smile or his teasing or his plans for their futures.

Of course she must take the road trip to fulfill his last wish for her, even though she should be heading for the University of Texas (that’s UT, Jessi) at that very moment.

Find Jessi’s second novel at your local library or independent bookstore today and travel new highways with Honor as she and Rusty try to figure out a future that doesn’t have Finn in it.
**kmm

Book info: In Honor / Jessi Kirby. Simon & Schuster, 2012. [author’s website]    [publisher site]

My Recommendation:  Honor still can’t believe that her big brother Finn has been killed in Iraq. When his last letter arrives afterwards with special concert tickets, she heads off in his vintage Impala on a cross-country adventure with a few more twists than either could have planned.
Orphaned as young children, Finn and Honor were raised by Aunt Gina to do the right thing, so his enlistment as a Marine rather than taking a football scholarship wasn’t that surprising. Somehow, he and best buddy got crosswise during their senior year, and Rusty stopped coming over to help rebuild the ‘Pala.
Surprising when Rusty shows up for the funeral and won’t let Honor drive alone from Texas to California, along for the journey while she misses university orientation to carry out her brother’s last wish – to tell their favorite singer about him at her final concert.
Off across the dry flats of West Texas, into New Mexico and an improbable scuba dive to look at the stars, trying to get cool as they drive the unairconditioned Impala across the Arizona desert, car troubles cause an unscheduled stop in Sedona to get parts. As they drive and as they wait, there’s more than enough time for Rusty to tell Honor about his argument with Finn, but he seems determined not to talk about it.
Are they going to get to California in time for the concert? Can Honor get to the university before classes start? Can they start to imagine a world without her smiling big brother in it?

This journey In Honor  of the plans that Finn made for their future will linger in memory long after the final page is turned. (One of 5,000 books recommended on www.abookandahug.com) Review copy and cover image courtesy of the publisher.