{"product_id":"what-about-will-isbn-9780593108642","title":"What About Will","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Ellen Hopkins comes a new heartbreakingly tender middle grade novel in verse about the bonds between two brothers and the love they share.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTwelve-year-old Trace Reynolds has always looked up to his brother, mostly because Will, who's five years older, has never looked down on him. It was Will who taught Trace to ride a bike, would watch sports on TV with him, and cheer him on at Little League. But when Will was knocked out cold during a football game, resulting in a brain injury--everything changed. Now, seventeen months later, their family is still living under the weight of \"the incident,\" that left Will with a facial tic, depression, and an anger he cannot always control, culminating in their parents' divorce. Afraid of further fracturing his family, Trace begins to cover for Will who, struggling with addiction to pain medication, becomes someone Trace doesn’t recognize. But when the brother he loves so much becomes more and more withdrawn, and escalates to stealing money and ditching school, Trace realizes some secrets cannot be kept if we ever hope to heal.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eWhat About Will\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 2022-2023 Great Lakes Great Books Nominee (MI)\u003cbr\u003eA 2022-2023 Camellia Children’s Choice Book Award Nominee (AL)\u003cbr\u003eA 2022 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 2022 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003cb\u003eHeartfelt \u003c\/b\u003enovel in verse.” —\u003ci\u003eForbes\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “Hopkins’s \u003cb\u003eheartrending\u003c\/b\u003e novel in verse \u003cb\u003eevocatively\u003c\/b\u003e conveys Trace’s attempts to call attention to Will’s dangerous behavior and his yearning to “fix” his broken family. \u003cb\u003eStandout \u003c\/b\u003esupporting characters include Mr. Cobb, Trace’s Vietnam veteran neighbor, and Catalina, a new girl on his baseball team. . . the verse format suits Trace’s first-person narrative; its brevity cuts to the heart of Trace’s raw feelings of isolation and powerlessness. . .  A \u003cb\u003erealistic, emotionally charged portrait\u003c\/b\u003e of a family divided and their fragile steps toward a shared future. \u003cb\u003eRecommended\u003c\/b\u003e for middle grade collections.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Written in her recognizable free-verse style, Hopkins conveys the \u003cb\u003eraw and realistic\u003c\/b\u003e emotions of a broken family. The book covers multiple \u003cb\u003etough subjects\u003c\/b\u003e . . . in a manner that is \u003cb\u003edigestible for a younger audience\u003c\/b\u003e. \u003ci\u003eWhat about Will\u003c\/i\u003e is a story about family, love, loss, hope, and understanding that you don’t have to go through hardships alone.” —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The fears of stable, straight-arrow athlete Trace are clarified in \u003cb\u003elovely sparks of concrete poetry\u003c\/b\u003e among Hopkins’ free verse, as he learns to tell adults when he sees his beloved brother acting dangerously. \u003cb\u003eCompassionate optimism\u003c\/b\u003e for a boy who can’t control the chaos around him.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In effective verse, Hopkins (\u003ci\u003eCloser to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e) tells an \u003cb\u003ehonest and moving\u003c\/b\u003e portrait of a family in flux as they navigate newfound emotional and physical distance…Hopkins \u003cb\u003etenderly portrays\u003c\/b\u003e a younger brother learning to advocate for himself and those he loves by speaking up and asking for help.” —\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A gentle, but honest, look at depression and addiction that also models positive responses and community support. For fans of \u003ci\u003eGhost\u003c\/i\u003e by Jason Reynolds and \u003ci\u003eBefore the Ever After\u003c\/i\u003e by Jaqueline Woodson, \u003ci\u003eWhat About Will\u003c\/i\u003e is \u003cb\u003eimportant and moving\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eYALSA\u003c\/i\u003e, on audiobook edition\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eCloser to Nowhere\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA 2022-2023 Truman Readers Book Award Nominee (MO)\u003cbr\u003e A 2022-2023 South Carolina Book Award Nominee\u003cbr\u003eA 2021 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year\u003cbr\u003eA 2021 NCTE Notable Novel in Verse\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn Amazon Best Book of the Month\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “\u003cb\u003eReaders will root\u003c\/b\u003e for these \u003cb\u003erealistic characters\u003c\/b\u003e, and will cheer for the growth they experience. \u003cb\u003eHighly recommended\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hopkins’ use of free verse provides a canvas for \u003cb\u003esure-handed\u003c\/b\u003e, brush-stroke development of the backstory and plot and emotional investment and identification with the characters. . . \u003cb\u003eCompassionate and compelling\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There’s a new crowd of Ellen Hopkins fans on the horizon! Hopkins \u003cb\u003etackles tough subjects with honesty and compassion\u003c\/b\u003e, woven in \u003cb\u003ebrilliant verse\u003c\/b\u003e as always, now in a novel for younger readers. This \u003cb\u003ebeautifully written\u003c\/b\u003e book about the strength of family shows us that even someone who doesn’t feel at home anywhere can find a place to belong.” —\u003cb\u003eLynne Kelly\u003c\/b\u003e, author of the Schneider Family Book Award–winning \u003ci\u003eSong for a Whale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Hopkins uses her familiar verse to \u003cb\u003etake readers on an emotional rollercoaster\u003c\/b\u003e. . . The author’s note about her own family experiences with addiction and behavioral challenges is almost as \u003cb\u003epoignant\u003c\/b\u003e as the text, and \u003cb\u003ethe quick pace makes it easy to devour, enticing fans to check out the rest of Hopkins’ oeuvre\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003ci\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003c\/i\u003eEllen Hopkins is a poet, former journalist, and the award-winning author of twenty nonfiction books for young readers, fourteen bestselling young-adult novels (including The Crank Trilogy, Burned, Impulse, and Tricks series), and four novels for adult readers. This is her second middle-grade novel. Ellen lives with her extended family, two brilliant German shepherds, and a couple of ponds (not pounds) of koi in the eastern shadow of the Northern Nevada Sierra.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMy Big Brother\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Always\u003cbr\u003e had a\u003cbr\u003e short\u003cbr\u003e fuse\u003cbr\u003e but now\u003cbr\u003e it’s permanently lit.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Okay, it was never\u003cbr\u003e hard to set Will off.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e It used to be a game\u003cbr\u003e I played, mostly\u003cbr\u003e just for kicks.\u003cbr\u003e It was funny, watching\u003cbr\u003e the blood throb\u003cbr\u003e in his temples.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e But sometimes,\u003cbr\u003e when trouble\u003cbr\u003e was staring at me\u003cbr\u003e and I wanted to aim\u003cbr\u003e it in a different direction,\u003cbr\u003e I’d rile Will up\u003cbr\u003e until he blew.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Then, when Mom\u003cbr\u003e or Dad started griping\u003cbr\u003e about my behavior,\u003cbr\u003e I’d point at my brother,\u003cbr\u003e all red-faced and cussing,\u003cbr\u003e and ask, “What about Will?”\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e I never thought\u003cbr\u003e I’d get sick\u003cbr\u003e of that question.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eCheck It Out\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e It’s been a long time\u003cbr\u003e since I’ve said it straight\u003cbr\u003e to my brother’s face,\u003cbr\u003e but I love him, wicked\u003cbr\u003e bad temper and all.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e We used to be best-\u003cbr\u003e friend brothers.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Will’s seventeen, which\u003cbr\u003e makes him five years\u003cbr\u003e older, and I’ve always\u003cbr\u003e looked up to him.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Mostly because\u003cbr\u003e he never looked\u003cbr\u003e down on me.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e When I was like\u003cbr\u003e four, and most other\u003cbr\u003e kids still rode tricycles,\u003cbr\u003e Will took the training wheels\u003cbr\u003e off my little blue bike\u003cbr\u003e and taught me to ride it.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e You can’t keep up on four\u003cbr\u003e wheels, Trace\u003c\/i\u003e, he said.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Even on two, it took a while,\u003cbr\u003e but eventually, I did.\u003cbr\u003e At least, I came close.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nancy Paulsen Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303237996773,"sku":"NP9780593108642","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593108642.jpg?v=1767743796","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/what-about-will-isbn-9780593108642","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}