Synopses & Reviews
When his grandmother dies, 15-year-old JP's family is set adrift. His mother starts acting like a teenager, leaving JP to care for his mentally challenged father. Then she wins an old farmhouse in an essay contest, insists that the three of them move there-and, because she wants to share her luck, invites some of the neighborhood outcasts to live there, too. There's Larry, whose parents discount his art; Bobbi, abused by her father; and the various poets, painters, and artists who are drawn to JP's mother and her vision. It's a vision JP doesn't see nor share-and, lost in the chaos of his new household, he doesn't know who he is anymore, or if he matters to either of his parents. This eagerly awaited novel by the author of the National Book Award winner Dancing on the Edge will capture readers-and show them a new way to look at family.
Review
[set star] and#147;An emotional roller-coaster ride . . .and#160;A profound and heartwarming message about the various manifestations of love.and#8221;and#151;
Publishers Weekly (starred)and#160;[set star] and#147;Only a writer as talented as Han Nolan could make this improbable story line and bizarre cast of characters not only believable, but ultimately uplifting, intriguing, and memorable.and#8221;and#151;
Booklist (starred)
Synopsis
After Grandma Mary dies, sixteen-year-oldand#160;JPand#8217;s safe, secure world quickly unravels. He finds himself living in complete chaos when his mother wins a farmhouse in an essay contest and insists on sharing her good fortune with other neighborhood outcasts. Suddenly there are no rules, and the house is filled with poets, musicians, a reformed drug addict, an abused teen, and too many others who seem to have replacedand#160;JP and his fatherand#160;in his motherand#8217;s life.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; JP longs for his family to be restored to what it once was. But then somehow, amid the madness, his idea of family is redefined in ways he never expected.
Synopsis
A teen learns to appreciate his unique family and friends in this novel by National Book Awardand#150;winning author
About the Author
After Grandma Mary dies, sixteen-year-oldand#160;JPand#8217;s safe, secure world quickly unravels. He finds himself living in complete chaos when his mother wins a farmhouse in an essay contest and insists on sharing her good fortune with other neighborhood outcasts. Suddenly there are no rules, and the house is filled with poets, musicians, a reformed drug addict, an abused teen, and too many others who seem to have replacedand#160;JP and his fatherand#160;in his motherand#8217;s life.and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; JP longs for his family to be restored to what it once was. But then somehow, amid the madness, his idea of family is redefined in ways he never expected.
A teen learns to appreciate his unique family and friends in this novel by National Book Awardand#150;winning author[set star] and#147;An emotional roller-coaster ride . . .and#160;A profound and heartwarming message about the various manifestations of love.and#8221;and#151;Publishers Weekly(starred)and#160;[set star] and#147;Only a writer as talented as Han Nolan could make this improbable story line and bizarre cast of characters not only believable, but ultimately uplifting, intriguing, and memorable.and#8221;and#151;Booklist(starred)
HAN NOLAN is the author of sixand#160;other highly acclaimed novels published by Harcourt.