In his first book for young adults, Geoff Herbach (The Miracle Letters of T. Rimberg) explores with insight, humor and poignancy the transformation of Felton Reinstein during the summer in Bluffton, Wis., that he turns 16. His mother, Jerri, witnesses the pivotal spring gym class in which he sprints the entire 600-yard dash and outruns the best runners by 150 yards ("stupid fast"). At first, she encourages him. But as he shoots up to more than 6 feet and 168 pounds, and the coaches line up to talk to him, Jerri begins to withdraw.
Herbach perfectly captures the unexpected tradeoffs that come with gaining acceptance in one arena while losing the foothold in one's foundation. Felton is the one who found his father hanging in the garage when he was five ("This could be a dark tale!" he says. "It's not"). Jerri won't talk about it to Felton or his 13-year-old brother. She simply shuts down. And Felton's best friend is away for the summer. Luckily, Felton's paper route puts him in the path of Aleah Jennings, who's moved in for the summer, and a relationship develops between them.
Felton's questions about his mother's increasingly bizarre behavior feed a larger mystery at the center of the novel. If the narrative at times rambles, you will forgive Herbach because it's so true to Felton's stream-of-consciousness meanderings. The author grants access to a male teen's thoughts at his most vulnerable, as he builds tenuous friendships with his jock buddies, and takes Aleah's hand, "which made me totally dizzy and sort of sweaty." --Jennifer M. Brown, children's editor