Junk Boy

August 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-Bobby Lang lives on the edge of town in a dilapidated house with his father, who is disabled and continuously drunk. The kids at school call Bobby Junk, a cruel reminder of the junk-filled property he lives on, and he tries to be invisible at school to avoid the bullying. His story is told in free verse and readers are privy to his thoughts as he ruminates on his lonely life. By accident, he witnesses a moment of violence against his classmate Rachel when her mother discovers her with her girlfriend. Bobby and Rachel bond over their outsider status, and her friendship gives him hope where earlier he felt none. Seasoned YA author Abbott crafts a nuanced story about an unlikely but desperately needed friendship between two outsiders. Both Bobby and Rachel are dealing with weak and abusive parental bonds and the damage this does to them is capably shown. Readers will cringe over what Rachel's mother tries to force on her daughter because of her sexuality, and will hopefully be pushed to think critically about how words and actions affect others. The narrative also respectfully shows positive aspects of religion and getting mental health assistance. VERDICT This novel-in-verse has an engaging male POV, and would be a good read-alike for those who enjoyed Jason Reynolds's Long Way Down. The message of breaking through barriers to reach out for help and being an empathetic friend are important themes for teens to understand, and makes this a definite buy for YA collections.-Nancy McKay, Byron P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 15, 2020
Two teens struggling with painful home lives forge a complicated friendship in this novel in verse. Fifteen-year-old Bobby is called Junk by kids at school, a barb directed at him due to the piles of debris that litter the yard of the home where he lives with his neglectful father, who abuses alcohol. Bobby happens to witness the mother of Rachel, an artistically gifted classmate, slapping her daughter after she discovers Rachel kissing another girl. He is drawn to Rachel despite her often mercurial treatment of him. The free-verse form effectively propels this story, which is at once action-oriented and introspective, forward. Bobby's emotion-filled thoughts make him a narrator it is easy to feel sympathy toward, and readers will likely be relieved by the auspicious events that transpire in his life as he learns more about his family history and is befriended by the town priest. Though the secondary characters are not as well-developed as Bobby is, the idea that people can help others even as they contend with their own demons is clear. This message, and the easily accessible, evocative language of the verse, should hold appeal for a range of realistic fiction fans. The characters all seem to be White. A poignant, hopeful novel about emerging from the isolation wrought by abuse. (author's note, resources) (Verse novel. 12-18)

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August 31, 2020
Bobby Lang lives with his distant, verbally abusive father, who has an alcohol dependence, in a neglected house overrun by all manner of detritus and rusting scrap. Solitary and friendless, Bobby scurries through high school alone, called “Junk” by peers and straining to remain as invisible as possible. He wants only to be left alone to make space for himself in the rotting shell of a 1967 VW bus that once belonged to his mother, but after accidentally witnessing the public humiliation of Rachel, a talented, queer artist and schoolmate whose mother violently rejects her sexual orientation, the two emotionally abandoned teens begin an uneasy friendship that forces them to reckon with their definitions of salvation and sacrifice. Writing in spare, straightforward verse, Abbott (The Summer of Owen Todd) deftly captures the characters’ hurt at feeling forgotten and misunderstood, the isolation of coming-of-age under traumatic circumstances, and the solace, in the form of the local priest, of being seen and accepted. Graceful in execution and in substance, Bobby and Rachel’s moving story is emotionally satisfying. Ages 14–up. Agent: Erica Silverman, Sterling Lord Literistic.

September 1, 2020
Grades 8-11 Bobby Lang, 15, is called Junk at school because the home he shares with his alcoholic, disabled father is surrounded by junk, including an old VW camper up on blocks. He is friendless because of this and his odd appearance. Rachel Braly is another outlier, with a rocky relationship with her mother and a brilliant gift for art, and though she's prickly and hostile, she catches Bobby's attention when she draws a portrait of him, demonstrating that she can tell what he is like on the inside. Rachel's anger gets the better of her, and Bobby tries to save her from herself with mixed results. Bobby also learns the truth about his missing mother, and the resulting catharsis is a catalyst for change in his relationship with his father. This poignant novel in verse captures the bleakness and frustration of both teens' lives and draws them out of their despair with courage and compassion. The end may be a little too neatly tied up, but after the preceding trauma, the conclusion is both hopeful and a relief.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)