Never Eighteen

October 24, 2011
In Bostic’s melodramatic debut novel, 17-year-old Austin Parker, who is dying from leukemia, embarks on an exhilarating weekend journey through the Seattle area with his best friend/crush, Kaylee. Austin is determined to visit everyone who has touched his life and dole out wakeup calls to those who aren’t living life to the fullest. He visits the mother of a friend who died, an ex-girlfriend in an abusive relationship, various family members, and others, interspersed with trips to a fair, a keg party, the Space Needle, and Mt. Rainier. The brief episodes unfold at warp speed, weakening their believability and impact; despite the painful circumstances in their lives, Austin’s acquaintances open up to him immediately during his surprise visits in dramatic, expository conversations (“The old Allie died that day, on the sticker bushes, right along with her virginity and her self-respect,” says a friend who was raped). Sensitive, selfless, and nonthreatening, Austin comes across more as a wise-beyond-his-years guru than an authentic teen—teenage girls will shed tears over his inevitable death, but male readers will be hard pressed to identify with him. Ages 12–up.

December 1, 2011
A boy decides he wants to live the last weeks of his life helping others get their own lives into better shape. Unless they read the back cover of the book, readers won't learn until late in the story that 17-year-old Austin is dying of leukemia. Meanwhile, it becomes increasingly clear that Austin, thin and weak, has embarked on some kind of mission. Because he never got his driver's license, he enlists best friend Kaylee to drive him around the Seattle area as he meets with people whom he knows have problems. While Kaylee waits in the car, Austin tries to talk them into making better decisions in their lives. He also treats Kaylee to some Seattle sights and an expensive dinner. Underneath it all, however, Austin looks for the courage to tell Kaylee that he loves her as more than a friend. But will he have time? Bostic writes this graceful, affecting tale without pretension, simply by focusing on Austin himself. She avoids the maudlin, merely writing a boy who knows what he wants and showing his family and his friends as they move toward the final scenes. Perhaps it's because of that simplicity that the story concludes with such a powerful emotional punch. There won't be many dry eyes at the end of this extremely affecting story. (Fiction. 12-17)

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February 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Austin Parker knows he will not live to see his 18th birthday. Before leukemia can take him from his family and friends, he plans a long weekend with his best friend, Kaylee. The two embark on a mission to meet with friends and family members, hoping Austin can leave them some advice on how to live. Bostic paints the teen as mature for his age, but he is still a well-drawn and realistic character. However, it's a little difficult to believe that the friends and family members he visits have all suffered in extreme ways. Austin meets with, among many others, an ex-girlfriend who is being physically abused, a girl who has been raped, a friend who is a closeted homosexual, a kid he used to bully, and his dad who has yet to divorce his mom. Reading this list might give the impression that the book is a major downer, but it's actually uplifting. Austin and Kaylee are strong, well-crafted characters who care deeply for one another and those around them. Somehow, even given the plethora of problems faced in this book, it works.-Wendy Smith-D'Arezzo, Loyola College, Baltimore, MD

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