A tender and poignant coming of age YA tale…
Set in 1990 in the small mid-western town of Springdale, Missouri, Gibbons’s coming of age YA novel tells the story of teenage boy struggling to navigate social pressures while in high school. Todd Anderson has always struggled with fitting in, and beginning his freshman year in a new Catholic high school is no different. Craving popularity, he navigates through his freshman years and discovers that being popular doesn’t exclude you from life’s problems. Gibbons skillfully traverses teenager anxieties over friendships, identity, popularity, and fitting in. His prose is simple, but affecting and pacing swift. The large array of interesting characters from different backgrounds populate the story, and Gibbons expertly weaves his characters’ interpersonal dynamics and their individual struggles into the affecting narrative. He makes all of Todd’s relationships, including with his parents, brothers, and friends touching and utterly real. This is an absorbing and raw coming-of-age story that will resonate with any YA reader.
Fall Boys and Spring Girls
By Jim E. Gibbons
Pub date
ASIN
Price $3.03 (USD) Kindle edition, $9.99 Paperback
Categories: Short Reviews, YA
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