In this companion novel to The Wednesday Wars, Doug struggles to be more than the skinny thug that some people think him to be. He finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, who gives him the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival. AGES: 10-14 AUTHOR: Gary D. Schmidt is a professor of English at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars. He lives with his family in a small town, where he splits wood, plants gardens, writes, and feeds the wild cats that drop by. REVIEWS: [A] stealthily powerful, unexpectedly affirming story of discovering and rescuing one’s best self. -Booklist, starred review