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Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students




*The Things a Brother Knows* by Dana Reinhardt- young adult book review
 
Also by Dana Reinhardt:

The Summer I Learned to Fly

Harmless

How to Build a House

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life
 
The Things a Brother Knows
by Dana Reinhardt
Grades 12+ 256 pages Wendy Lamb Books September 2010 Hardcover    

Levi’s big brother, Boaz, is the local town hero. After succeeding at everything he touched in high school, Boaz gave up the expected college track and instead joined the military to serve his country on a foreign field.

Levi has struggled with understanding the war that his brother fights in and often confesses to his friends that he just wishes Boaz would come home and things would be like they were before. Levi is learning that change is constant and even he will someday have to make choices about what he believes in.

When Boaz finally returns home, Levi hopes to find the brother that left but instead he finds a man who will not get in a car, who jumps at the slightest movement, who spends hours alone in his room on his computer. The only link Levi has with Boaz now is the computer and his ability to help Boaz to keep the old model running.

When Boaz tells his parents that he has plans to hike the Appalachian Trail, his parents are thrilled that he finally has a direction. Levi knows that Boaz is planning to take a trip, but he also knows from his tracking of Boaz’s computer history that Boaz is not going anywhere near the Appalachian Trail. Torn between wanting to help and protect his big brother or make his parents aware of an uncertain danger, Levi will engage his friends in an adventure that will take them all into uncharted territory.

In a story of conflict and a story of redemption, author Reinhardt has again hit a homerun with this age group.
 
Young adult book reviews for ages 12 and up - middle school and high school students

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