Katherine Tegen Books; 2013
Young Adult (Adult Crossover)
Ezra Faulkner's middle school best friend Toby catches a decapitated head on a roller coaster during his twelfth birthday celebration at Disneyland. Labeled a misfit because of this tragedy, Toby and Ezra drift apart as the story fast forwards to Ezra's life as a 17-year-old. Ezra realizes Toby's tragedy didn't have to end their friendship, but he didn't do anything to change it. When Ezra has his personal tragedy at the start of his senior year, it comes when he least expects it; he's ridiculously popular, a celebrated athlete, and gets good grades and hot girls. His girlfriend cheats on him, he gets into a bad car accident which ends his tennis career, and loses his place among popular royalty. What do you do when everything has to start again? A mysterious girl named Cassidy comes into the story and makes Ezra wonder if this is the beginning of everything.
The detailed character descriptions and realistic teenage dialogue push the story along at a fast pace. You feel the pain and loss of Ezra's tragedy and the remorse he feels for his failed friendship with Toby. We all make poor decisions, and this story helps us see the repercussions but also the new paths that open up after a tragedy. I cannot tell you enough how much I loved this story. I laughed, I cried, and I saw my own teenage stupidity. Schneider shows us that life goes on, but not in the way we originally thought.
The detailed character descriptions and realistic teenage dialogue push the story along at a fast pace. You feel the pain and loss of Ezra's tragedy and the remorse he feels for his failed friendship with Toby. We all make poor decisions, and this story helps us see the repercussions but also the new paths that open up after a tragedy. I cannot tell you enough how much I loved this story. I laughed, I cried, and I saw my own teenage stupidity. Schneider shows us that life goes on, but not in the way we originally thought.
READ-A-LIKES (click the link for Amazon)
St. Martin's Griffin; 2013
Speak; 2006
Simon & Schuster; 2013
I love this annotation! I've read all 4 of these books and they're great examples of realistic fiction--a lot of things about being a teenager can bring you down and life doesn't always have a happy ending, but the best we can do is try to move on from major obstacles and tragedies. I'm always recommending books like these to both teens and adults.
ReplyDeleteWow! I like your description of the plot. I am totally going to read this!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this annotation is inspiring! I can't say enough good things about these books. I agree that they are great for both teens and adults, Cara. I hope you enjoy it, Amber :)
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