Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi and The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

DOWN AND ACROSS by Arvin Ahmadi will be appearing on our shelves soon. No doubt there will be student readers who relate to 16 year-old Scott Ferdowsi, the main character who cannot seem to hold a thought for much more than a paragraph.  At first, that trait was endearing, but it became old quickly.

The son of Iranian immigrants who are travelling back to see relatives, Scott (Saaket) takes off to visit a professor at Georgetown to learn about grit, meets a young woman named Fiora and … well, has some misadventures. Although underage drinking, drug use and depression all are mentioned in this debut novel, I would say that this rather immature character will likely find more fans among relatively younger readers.  

DOWN AND ACROSS had starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal (specifying grades 8 and up).
 

 

Personally, I was more drawn to the young men who appeared in a new novel from an award-winning Australian author.THE SIDEKICKS by Will Kostakis is a character study written in three parts from the perspective of  the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd – that’s Ryan, Harley and Miles – who are grieving the loss of their good friend Isaac. 

Ryan takes refuge in swimming and contemplates telling his Mom (a teacher at the school) that he is gay. Harley seemingly wants to turn his life around and develops a bond while comforting Isaac’s Mom. And while Miles is smart, he, too, struggles with personal relationships and obsesses about watching the hours of film he took of Isaac. 

Each misses the friendship, listening and acceptance that Isaac provided and that grief is pervasive, though experienced differently. THE SIDEKICKS received starred reviews from School Library Journal and Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA).

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

FORCE OF NATURE by Jane Harper is her second Aaron Falk mystery, primarily set in a rural, backwoods area a few hours from Melbourne, Australia. There, Executive Adventures has organized a nature survival experience for several corporate employees. The mystery? Five women begin the hike and only four, injured and late, arrive at the rendezvous point a few days later. Harper does an excellent job of building suspense and a feeling of very grave danger. Her story is complex – involving past kidnappings and a serial killer in the area, corporate misdeeds and financial secrets, and family dynamics. Using flashbacks, she gradually reveals the events that occurred when the women (Jill, twins Bree and Beth, Lauren and Alice) were in the wild. Those are interspersed with the ongoing investigation of Falk, his partner and local law enforcement. Although scary and unnerving at times, I found myself looking forward to reading FORCE OF NATURE and finished it in just a day or two. This title received a starred review from Booklist and I highly recommended it. Look also for The Dry which is Harper’s much-acclaimed previous bestseller and the first in this series.

Tell Me More by Kelly Corrigan

TELL ME MORE by Kelly Corrigan was everything I had expected: another heartfelt, clever commentary on everyday life from a favorite author. Reading this book is like sitting down and having a cup of tea with your oldest and best friend.  I learned about Corrigan’s parents (and reflected on my own) with her 2014 memoir, Glitter and Glue.  In TELL ME MORE, Corrigan shares insights and wisdom through “Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I'm Learning to Say.” I especially loved the first section on dealing with her daughter’s angst by saying “tell me more” and asking questions versus interrupting or jumping in immediately with advice. Corrigan continues with anecdotes about saying I don’t know, I was wrong, I love you and more. She frequently sprinkles in humor and is so honest and open with her feelings, noting “the truth is I am always teetering between a mature acceptance of Life’s immutables and a childish railing against the very same.” 

I will be returning to this book of essays and look forward to sharing it with others. TELL ME MORE received a starred review from Kirkus.