This Boy

Description

Paul Walden is just trying to make sense of life. After all, it's not easy being a teenage boy. He worries about things like death and if he's looking sharp enough, and he spends way too much time thinking about girls. As Paul navigates high school friendships, his parents' divorce, first love and first loss, he has to confront some of life's biggest questions, and learn what really matters most. A welcome story from an author with a keen understanding of the concerns of those on the verge of adulthood, this is a boy's answer to Sarah Dessen's novels.

Lauren Myracle is the author of numerous novels for middle-grade and young adult readers, including the Internet Girls series (ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r; and yolo), the Winnie Years series, the Wishing Day trilogy and others. She lives with her family in Fort Collins, Colorado.

A sweet yet genuine coming-of-age story. * Hypable * Myracle's depiction of Paul, his deep friendship with Roby, his relationship with his mom, and his first love with Natalia (a strong and multidimensional young woman) will snag readers, both reluctant and voracious, as they root for each of them to make it through the difficult realities of life, high school, and love. * School Library Journal * Through well-crafted dialogue and prose, the narrative highlights the ordinary, everyday moments and conversations that take up Paul's life. Paul's intimate first-person narration holds nothing back...A gritty and powerful story. * Kirkus Reviews * Myracle does a superbly vivid job of handling Paul's friendship with Roby, his love for Natalia, and his later addiction. More than a simple cautionary story, this is a deeply felt, highly empathetic exercise in survival and a celebration of friendship. * Booklist * This Boy is at once universal and molecular, tender and brutal; a graceful, engaging four-year journey through friendship, love, and life that will rough you up with honesty while quietly etching its characters deeper and deeper into your heart. Lauren Myracle has done it again. * Andrew Smith, author of Grasshopper Jungle and Rabbit & Robot *