Set Me Free by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore


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the throwback special by chris bachelder

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I'm not a team sports enthusiast. Truly, I'm vehemently anti-athletics of the team variety, since, among more virtuous geopolitical reasons, they remind me of being tortured by jocks as a new wave teen. Still, I relished Bachelder's book, because it isn't really about organized sport. Rather, it's a near-scientific observation of twenty-two men in the throes of middle life who have gathered annually for the last sixteen years to reenact Joe Theismann's 1985 leg-shattering play, known as "The Throwback Special," laced with heavy doses of bittersweet humor - a favorite flavor of mine. Those of you who miss the pleasure of eavesdropping on humans conversing in public spaces* will appreciate the low- and high-brow overheard philosophical gems sprinkled throughout the work as the men, largely begrudgingly, prepare for a ritual many of them are no longer emotionally invested in. Reading it felt like the best kind of being invisible: reader as witness to a c...
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Impossible by Nancy Werlin

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Nancy Werlin's unusual book is a stunning mix of romance, fantasy, and suspense. Lucy Scarborough is a practical, strong, and engaging heroine busy fighting a family curse with the help of her amazing parents and boyfriend. This is essentially a story about the strength of true love in the most impossible of situations. Grade 8+ Don't miss the all the extras for Impossible at Nancy Werlin's website . Recommend this one to fans of Kristin Cashore's Graceling .
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Hello, Again by Max Estes

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Fans of Craig Thompson will enjoy this short book by Max Estes . Willy lives with guilt: he blames himself for his fathers' affair with the babysitter and is having his own dalliance with his best friend's fiancee. Along comes a ghost from the past, who packs his own punch - he's the guy in the boat that disappeared when Willy and his friends set him off to sea as part of a childhood prank. When the man pops out of a hole in the ground to say hello Max is forced to deal with what happened during his youth. Este's drawings are simple yet convey plenty of emotion. A quick sweet read about letting go and forgiving yourself.
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