college and enlisting in the Marine Corps. Now Boaz has come back from the
war. But his return does not bring the normalcy and peace that Levi and his
parents expected. Boaz stays locked in his room, never speaks, and has no
contact with anyone from his pre-military life. When he tells his parents he
is going to hike the Appalachian trail Levi knows he is lying. With the help
of his friends, Pearl and Zim, and his grandfather he will track his brother
down and try to talk with him, help him, and maybe bring him home for real.
Why I picked it up:
This book was recommended in a story on NPR by Gale Forman, the author of
one of next year's CYRM nominees. Being a younger brother who idolized his
older brother I thought it sounded very good so I downloaded the audiobook
from iTunes.
Why I kept reading it:
The characters are so well drawn, especially Levi and his grandfather, Dove.
It is also remarkable that there is no bad guy. There is no us vs. them.
There is just a family and their friends trying to cope with a bad
situation-- a situation that brings out the best in many of the characters.
Like Levi I was in awe of my older brother when I was young and grew up to
discover he was human (but still a very cool person) so I felt very
connected to the protagonist. I also loved Levi's friends Zim and Pearl--
they really came through for him.
Who I would give it to next:
I would give this to little brothers everywhere. I would also recommend it
to soldiers and their families.
Highly recommended for grades 9-12.
--
Tony Doyle, Teacher Librarian
Reviewer for School Library journal
