Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre:  Realistic Fiction

# of Pages:  407

RAC:  Yes

Alex Woods has had a very interesting life.  He lives with his single mother who owns and operates a fortune teller business and when he was ten he was hit by a meteorite that actually plummeted through his bathroom ceiling.  Since his accident he’s had trouble with seizures and unfortunately, bullies.  On one such occasion when he was running from bullies he ended up getting blamed for an act of vandalism on a elderly man’s home.  His punishment was to go to Mr. Petersen’s house every Saturday to help him out.  All of this leads up to the story that begins with Alex getting arrested by border patrol because he has marijuana in his glove compartment and Mr. Petersen’s ashes in the seat next to him.  What happened that led to this moment?

This story is quirky and weird in a way that makes the reader want to know more.  The last 100 pages are especially compelling as the facts all start to come together and it becomes obvious what Alex and Mr. Petersen are going to do.  Fans of John Green novels will like this title because the characters are smart and unique and the story seems unbelievable and yet believable at the same time.