Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pills were to make you
better. I never thought they
could be a sickness.
You say Ellen Hopkins and I say sold! #autoread
This is such a raw and well-written book about drug addiction. I'm surprised that it's middle-grade because it covers a wide range of hard-hitting topics from mental health to absent parents. It also does a great job in exploring how one gets addicted to drugs and the vicious cycle an addict gets trapped in.
Despite being a novel-in-verse, the character development is great. I was initially very frustrated with most of the characters because of how self-absorbed they seem but I gradually started to empathise and feel for them. Mr Cobb and Lily were simply awesome.
Only thing was I wish Serene's arc was more fleshed out. Distancing herself appears to be her way of coping but she was a shitty parent even at the end, so I would have liked to hear more about her.
You can't stop
anyone who's determined
to go down a certain path.
You can tell them you think
it's wrong. that you're scared
for them, even. But you can't
stop them because decisions
like that are totally their own.
The best you can do
is keep loving them.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Trace has always looked up to his older brother Will. Even when Will got into a life-changing accident that left him with a facial tic, depression, and anger issues. Even when Will's depression sinks deeper and deeper, even when Will starts stealing and skipping class. Trace believed if he could just get Will back to his normal self, then his parents, and his life will go back to normal. How do you support someone going through addiction? Much more how do you support that person when they're your brother? This book was heartbreaking and a raw look into families with separated parents, teenagers struggling with their mental health, and children who feel powerless when it comes to what's happening around them. By the end of this book I had a box to tissues and a constant stream of tears.
I liked this look at substance abuse- from the eyes of a younger brother, I think this is a good option for my novels in verse lit circles
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a touching novel in verse about what happens when a beloved older brother, Will, suffers a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a football game as seen through the lens of a younger sibling, 12-year-old Trace.
Will's struggles are typical for TBI sufferers, and he battles depression, anger management, personality changes, drug dependency, and more after the injury. His grades tank. College prospects fade into a lost dream. Trace struggles to deal with it all, as do the boys' parents.
It is, unfortunately, the plight of kids who suffer head injuries in high school sports and is still all too common, even with heightened awareness of concussions, their cumulative effects and increased efforts by coaches and physical trainers to screen kids for symptoms. As a parent of a high school athlete in a (ridiculously) physical sport, who suffered a concussion, not the more traumatic TBI, I connected with this story right away. Such potential lost!
As a teacher, I've seen first-hand how TBI's change children, rob them of achieving their dreams and ripple destructively through entire families.
It's a heart-wrenching read, but dare I say a necessary one for both middle and high school athletes and their parents.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
Will's struggles are typical for TBI sufferers, and he battles depression, anger management, personality changes, drug dependency, and more after the injury. His grades tank. College prospects fade into a lost dream. Trace struggles to deal with it all, as do the boys' parents.
It is, unfortunately, the plight of kids who suffer head injuries in high school sports and is still all too common, even with heightened awareness of concussions, their cumulative effects and increased efforts by coaches and physical trainers to screen kids for symptoms. As a parent of a high school athlete in a (ridiculously) physical sport, who suffered a concussion, not the more traumatic TBI, I connected with this story right away. Such potential lost!
As a teacher, I've seen first-hand how TBI's change children, rob them of achieving their dreams and ripple destructively through entire families.
It's a heart-wrenching read, but dare I say a necessary one for both middle and high school athletes and their parents.
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
This book...wow. I loved everything about this book. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved how it was from the point of view of a 12 year old boy dealing with non-typical 12 year old boy things. I loved the dynamic of the characters relationships, especially the one between Will and Trace. It really showed the relationship of brothers as "typical" (bickering, arguing, name calling, teasing, etc. out of love) but it also showed their relationship when Trace felt like he had to take care of Will and watch out for him, although he was 5 years younger. The story itself is heart breaking, but it was also eye-opening. I can't recommend this one enough.
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No