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mrskatiefitz's review against another edition
4.0
In her middle grade debut, YA author Kody Keplinger creates a portrait of a friendship between 12-year-old Nola and the three boys who live next door to her: her best friend, Canaan Swift, his older brother, Brian, and his younger brother, Kevin. Nola and the boys have big summer plans to earn money and go to the circus together in August, but everything changes abruptly when Mr. Swift walks out on his family in the middle of the night. Suddenly, Brian is the man of the house, Canaan is a bully, and Kevin has gone completely mute. Worst of all, there is no room left in their lives for Nola or the circus. As Nola watches the Swift boys' pain from the sidelines, she slowly begins to understand the impact of loss and to contemplate how her own losses might shape her future.
This book is unique among this year's middle grade titles because of its tone and mood. As compared with even the quietest of novels, it is highly introspective and nostalgic. The story provides many wistful glimpses into summers past as Nola laments this year's unpleasant changes. Admittedly, there does seem to be a tendency among middle school kids to look back on their early childhood days and reminisce, but Nola's observations about the past seem too mature and too wise for her age. It is as though her experiences have been filtered through adult, rather than tween, eyes.
The story also lacks any comic relief, so it feels like one long eulogy to a friendship forever changed. The reader almost needs to take a break every couple of chapters to keep from becoming depressed, as even Nola's best moments are bogged down by a sense of overwhelming sadness and loneliness. Because of this more somber approach, it is difficult to pinpoint who might be the likely readers for this book.
On the plus side, though, the setting is refreshingly new. Nola lives in an area of Kentucky where many people don't have much money, and her family and the Swifts share a duplex. The characters speak with Southern accents, using words like "ain't" and "y'all" that help readers fall into the culture of Nola's community. So many middle grade stories are set in bland upper middle class homes in nondescript neighborhoods, so this more specific setting is decidedly welcome.
The overall emotional impact of this is so powerful that unexpected tears might just catch the reader off guard in the last few pages of the book. Still, the seriousness of the story might make this a harder sell than the more fun-looking cover suggests. It is likely that readers who enjoy Kody Keplinger's YA work will try this book out of loyalty to the author, but the ones who like it most will probably be considerably older than the target demographic.
This book is unique among this year's middle grade titles because of its tone and mood. As compared with even the quietest of novels, it is highly introspective and nostalgic. The story provides many wistful glimpses into summers past as Nola laments this year's unpleasant changes. Admittedly, there does seem to be a tendency among middle school kids to look back on their early childhood days and reminisce, but Nola's observations about the past seem too mature and too wise for her age. It is as though her experiences have been filtered through adult, rather than tween, eyes.
The story also lacks any comic relief, so it feels like one long eulogy to a friendship forever changed. The reader almost needs to take a break every couple of chapters to keep from becoming depressed, as even Nola's best moments are bogged down by a sense of overwhelming sadness and loneliness. Because of this more somber approach, it is difficult to pinpoint who might be the likely readers for this book.
On the plus side, though, the setting is refreshingly new. Nola lives in an area of Kentucky where many people don't have much money, and her family and the Swifts share a duplex. The characters speak with Southern accents, using words like "ain't" and "y'all" that help readers fall into the culture of Nola's community. So many middle grade stories are set in bland upper middle class homes in nondescript neighborhoods, so this more specific setting is decidedly welcome.
The overall emotional impact of this is so powerful that unexpected tears might just catch the reader off guard in the last few pages of the book. Still, the seriousness of the story might make this a harder sell than the more fun-looking cover suggests. It is likely that readers who enjoy Kody Keplinger's YA work will try this book out of loyalty to the author, but the ones who like it most will probably be considerably older than the target demographic.
shamelesslyash's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really great book for the middle school age group. This book talks about love, loss, and family. A lot can happen over the summer and for Nola that means losing friends, making new ones, and moving. I feel like the author really got into the heart of what happens when someone leaves their family. Plus this is all from a child's POV, not an adults so children can really understand.
laura_sorensen's review
3.0
This one is a fun story for the middle-school set about how friendships change over the summer, and how the thing you thought you wanted at the beginning of the time period turns out not to be the thing you end up with.
reader_fictions's review
2.0
Shortly before I read The Swift Boys & Me, I DNFed Kody Keplinger’s latest YA novel, Run. Though I liked The Swift Boys & Me enough to finish it, these combined experiences make me feel like Keplinger’s moving in a direction I may not want to follow as a reader. That said, The Swift Boys & Me is an excellent middle grade title for kids dealing with loss or friendship problems.
I admit that I struggled with this one a bit. Like Run, it’s got a southern setting and is written with some dialect, though thankfully less strong than in Run. It’s totally a personal thing, but I really do not like reading southern dialect. Add to that the younger voice, and The Swift Boys & Me was not my favorite reading experience. Also, there’s a horrible woman at my office named Nola, so that was a personal issue too.
Still I think Keplinger does a nice job with the story she’s telling, and I think kids who read it will learn some good things from it. Nola’s dealing with the loss of her best friends, the Swift boys, after their daddy leaves them unexpectedly without saying goodbye. Brian goes and stays with friends, Canaan (her super best friend) starts hanging out with the neighborhood bullies and being mean to her, and Kevin stops talking at all. The Swift Boys & Me deals with the way that grief and loss can change a person, and also just with, on a broad level, the way that interpersonal relationships change as time passes.
I hate feeling like an old geezer, but the voice was just too young for me to be really into this book. Add in some personal pet peeves and this was not my favorite Keplinger. I’m probably won’t read anything more by Keplinger unless it’s a contemporary romance, but, for those who like southern fiction, this one and Run are probably worth trying.
I admit that I struggled with this one a bit. Like Run, it’s got a southern setting and is written with some dialect, though thankfully less strong than in Run. It’s totally a personal thing, but I really do not like reading southern dialect. Add to that the younger voice, and The Swift Boys & Me was not my favorite reading experience. Also, there’s a horrible woman at my office named Nola, so that was a personal issue too.
Still I think Keplinger does a nice job with the story she’s telling, and I think kids who read it will learn some good things from it. Nola’s dealing with the loss of her best friends, the Swift boys, after their daddy leaves them unexpectedly without saying goodbye. Brian goes and stays with friends, Canaan (her super best friend) starts hanging out with the neighborhood bullies and being mean to her, and Kevin stops talking at all. The Swift Boys & Me deals with the way that grief and loss can change a person, and also just with, on a broad level, the way that interpersonal relationships change as time passes.
I hate feeling like an old geezer, but the voice was just too young for me to be really into this book. Add in some personal pet peeves and this was not my favorite Keplinger. I’m probably won’t read anything more by Keplinger unless it’s a contemporary romance, but, for those who like southern fiction, this one and Run are probably worth trying.
amandathebookishlibrarian's review
4.0
While reading there was a point where I had to think why I didn't like it as much as Keplinger's other books, and then I remembered that this is a middle grade book and not a YA one. I found the story sweet and while I do prefer Keplinger as a YA author, I did enjoy this book.
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