Andrew Smith is the author of several novels for young adults, including Winger, Stand-Off, 100 Sideways Miles, and the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Grasshopper Jungle. He lives in a remote area in the mountains of Southern California with his family, two horses, two dogs, and three cats. He doesn't watch television, and occupies himself by writing, bumping into things outdoors, and taking ten-mile runs on snowy trails. Visit him online at AuthorAndrewSmith.com.
*" Finn's musings about the universe's constant dispersal and
recycling of atoms, along with his habit for measuring time in the
distance the Earth is forever racing around the sun, provide a
memorable perspective on human (in)significance."-- "Publishers
Weekly, Starred Review"
*"A mosaic of recurring motifs, subtle symbolism, wonderfully funny
bits, and the best birthday present ever make this a book that
repays close attention; the current of genuine warmth that runs
through it ensures multiple revisits and enthusiastic sharing."--
"BCCB, starred review"
*"A wickedly witty and offbeat novel...a breathtaking read."--
"Kirkus Reviews, starred review"
*"This unpredictable story of love and friendship is close to
perfect."-- "Booklist, starred review"
*"This will appeal to teens who like novels that with a bit of an
absurdist edge."-- "School Library Journal, starred review"
"An unusual and memorable novel."-- "Horn Book"
"Finn and Cade are a tag team for the ages. No one does male
friendship (or vomit and accidental nudity) better than Andrew
Smith."-- "S.A. Bodeen, author of The Compound"
"I'm not sure I've ever laughed with, cried with, and rooted harder
for a character than Finn Easton. His voice is so strong, so real,
that his triumphs and failures felt like they were my own. I
seriously loved this book."--Len Vlahos, author of The Scar
Boys
"If you're a young boy and a dead horse falls off a bridge, kills
your mother, and leaves you with deep scars -- and you're prone to
epileptic seizures -- you'd come to expect the unexpected. Still,
it doesn't mean you have to like it. In the shadow of his best
friend, the popular and athletic Cade, and forever tied to his
fictional namesake in his father's best-selling sci-fi novel, Finn
has trouble figuring out who he's supposed to be. Then he meets a
new girl and for the first time writes his own story. Hilarious and
heartbreaking, you'll be rooting for Finn all the
way."--recommended by Lisa Yee, author, most recently of Warp
Speed
"John Green fans will enjoy Smith's newest novel."-- "VOYA"
"The current of genuine warmth that runs through it ensures
multiple revisits and enthusiastic sharing."-- "BCCB, starred
review"
Finn Easton has lived his life in the shadow of a book. As a child,
Finn was severely injured and his mother killed in a freak
accident: a dead horse landed on them when it fell off a truck that
was traveling over a bridge. After the accident, his father took
many of Finn's unique characteristics (his name, heterochromatic
eyes, propensity to measure time in miles traveled by the Earth in
orbit, struggle with epilepsy, and a particular scar along his
back) and made them into a character in a Robert Heinlein-esque
novel, The Lazarus Door. The novel has attained cult status around
the world and made Finn's life a nightmare. The only person who
treats him as though he is not the character in the book is his
best friend, Cade Hernandez, the tobacco-chewing, sex-obsessed,
teacher-baiting hero to their classmates, beloved for his pitching
skills and his ability to get most people--especially girls--to do
whatever he wants. Late in their junior year, Julia Bishop moves in
and Finn falls in love. She is creative and funny. When she
announces that she is moving back home to Chicago shortly after
Finn's birthday, he is heartbroken, but decides to continue with
his planned road trip with Cade to Dunston University in Oklahoma,
a school they plan to attend unless Cade is drafted by the major
leagues or is given an athletic scholarship to another university.
The trip is the first time Finn has been out of California or away
from home, and Cade helps him cut the cord by throwing away his
cell while on the road in Arizona. While driving in a deluge in
Oklahoma, they witness an accident and risk their own lives
rescuing a little boy, a dog, and a grandfather from a raging
river. More than a bit wandering, this will appeal to teens who
like novels that with a bit of an absurdist edge.-Suanne B. Roush,
formerly at Osceola High School, Seminole, FL--School Library
Journal "July 2014 *STARRED REVIEW"
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