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Description
One summer,
after a long plane ride
and a rotten bad year
I went to Grandma Jo's.
It was my mother's idea.
Jett, what you need is a change of scenery.
I think she needed a change of scenery, too.
One without me.
Because that rotten bad year?
That was my fault.
Thus begins the poignant story, told in free verse, of eleven-year-old Jett. Last year, Jett and his mother had moved to a new town for a fresh start after his father went to jail. But Jett soon learned that fresh starts aren't all they're cracked up to be. When he befriended a boy with a difficult home life, Jett found himself in a cycle of bad decisions that culminated in the betrayal of a friend - a shameful secret he still hasn't forgiven himself for. Will a summer spent with his unconventional grandmother help Jett find his way to redemption?
Writing in artfully crafted free-verse vignettes, Heather Smith uses a deceptively simple style to tell a powerful and emotionally charged story. The engaging narrative and the mystery of Jett's secret keep the pages turning and will appeal to both reluctant and avid readers. This captivating book offers a terrific opportunity for classroom discussions about the many ways to tell a story and how a small number of carefully chosen words can have a huge impact. It also showcases the positive character traits of empathy resilience, courage, and responsibility.
Author Bio
Heather Smith is the author of several picture books, including the award-winning The Phone Booth in Mr. Hirota's Garden. Her middle-grade novel Ebb and Flow was shortlisted for the Governor General's Literary Award, and her YA novel The Agony of Bun O'Keefe won the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award, the OLA Forest of Reading White Pine Award and was shortlisted for the Amy Mathers Teen Book Award and the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. Most recently, Heather authored the middle-grade novel The Boy, the Cloud and the Very Tall Tale. Originally from Newfoundland, Heather now lives in Waterloo, Ontario, with her family.
Prizes
- Troybery Award, Troy School District 2019
- Violet Downey Book Award, IODEShort-listed 2019
- Young Adults' Choices Reading List, International Literacy AssociationWinner 2019
- Outstanding International Books, USBBYShort-listed 2019
- Rocky Mountain Book AwardShort-listed 2020
- BMO Winterset Award, Newfoundland and Labrador Arts CouncilWinner 2018
- Best Books of the Year, Quill & QuireWinner 2018
- Diamond Willow Award, Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Awards 2019
- Notable Children's Books in the Language ArtsAward, National Council of Teachers of EnglishWinner 2018
- Just One More Page! Recommendation List, WSRA Children's Literature CommitteeShort-listed 2019
- Teachers' Choices Reading List, International Literacy AssociationWinner 2018
- Northern Lights Award, MYRCAShort-listed 2020
- Governor General's Literary Award, Young People's Literature - Text, Canada Council for the ArtsShort-listed 2018
- White Raven Award, International Youth LibraryWinner 2019
- Silver Birch Fiction Award, Ontario Library AssociationWinner 2019
- Best Children's Books of the Year, Bank Street CollegeWinner 2019
- Best Books for Kids and Teens, The Canadian Children's Book CentreWinner 2018
- TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Canadian Children's Book Centre AwardsWinner 2019
Review Quotes
... one of the year's best books.
— Quill & Quire, starred review
... a powerful and poetic story of emotional endurance.
— School Library Journal, starred review
Heartbreaking---but uplifting.
— Kirkus Reviews
... a warm-hearted, compassionately observed novel that demonstrates that redemption is a quality we can achieve for ourselves.
— Resource Links
Exquisite and heartbreaking ...
— Canadian Children's Book News
Smith's sparse language exposes the heart of Jett's anguish and destructive anger; he's a realistically complex character whose emotional development unfolds organically through Smith's quiet storytelling.
— Publishers Weekly
Biographical note
Heather Smith is the author of two young adult novels, Baygirl and The Agony of Bun O'Keefe. Originally from Newfoundland, she now lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
