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An exquisite middle-grade novel by the award-winning Jill MacLean
Fifteen-year-old Nix Humbolt doesn't talk much. He's barely outgrown his "Fatty Humbolt" days, and although he is taller and leaner now, he has learned it is best to keep a low profile. He dreams about his only friend's girl, but of course she is hopelessly out of his league. Lonely and introverted, he is happiest in his father's woodworking shop, where he builds exquisite boxes and tables. The only battles Nix fights are on his Xbox - until the day he finds the guts to fight for Swiff Dunphy's neglected dog. Then there is Roxy, Nix's spirited older sister who always knows just how to get what she wants. But the guy she wants is seriously toxic, and even Nix can see that she is headed for disaster. All Nix can do is cover for her when she breaks curfew or comes home drunk. But this time Roxy is about to spiral out of control and change all their lives forever. And there is nothing he can do to stop it.
"Well-crafted and intense, an engrossing family drama in which both young and old learn what it means to grow up."-Kirkus Reviews
About this Author
Jill MacLean began writing for children later in life and she has quickly made her mark. Among her many awards and honours are an Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading nomination for every one of her titles and an Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children's Literature for both The Nine Lives of Travis Keating and The Present Tense of Prinny Murphy; the latter was also shortlisted for the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award. Born in Berkshire, England, Jill has been smitten with Atlantic Canada since she moved there at the age of nine. Today she lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, and divides her time between writing novels, giving school presentations, and pursuing her love of nature.
Reviews
Well-crafted and intense, an engrossing family drama in which both young and old learn what it means to grow up.
Writing with careful, evocative language, MacLean explores love in myriad forms.
Readers used to a diet of cliché-ridden YA fiction will enjoy this refreshing take on the teenage plight . . . [T]he hard-won hopefulness of Nix's growth will linger with them long after the poetry ends.
MacLean has produced another wonderful novel. She is to be applauded for respecting her readership and refusing to shy away from difficult topics . . . **Highly Recommended.**
The novel's strength comes from the authenticity of Nix's emotional evolution . . . This is an absorbing, emotionally resonant book.
YAs who are drawn to contemporary fiction and verse novels won't want to miss this . . .
This meticulously-crafted novel-in-verse is as finely-honed as one of Nix's own woodworking projects . . . While Nix struggles to find his voice, MacLean's impeccable poetry - spare, evocative, and affecting - enables readers to enter into his mind and heart. And they will be amply rewarded by the experience.
The story is complex and engaging, and the deep themes make this an excellent novel for study and discussion
. . . an exceptional novel that is not to be missed.
[A] sensitive story . . . Beautifully descriptive . . .
. . . a story about a young man finding out who he really is. A strong book.
. . . a well-paced story that will leave readers thoroughly engaged with the characters.
As Nix struggles to find his voice, MacLean soothes us with the gorgeousness of her writing, the spare but perfect free verse of this unforgettable gem.
[MacLean's] writing is strong and fluid but laced with vulnerability.
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