M. Evan Wolkenstein

This book took me awhile to get into, but once it had me - it had me. it's the story of a boy who is living with the shadow of his dad who died when he was 4 unexpectedly during a hernia surgery. Will finds out he is dealing with a condition that is impacting his jaw (thus the taunts of Turtle Boy by some mean classmates) and will require surgery. He's freak. Also preparing for his bar mitvah, he needs community service and starts to spend time with RJ, a terminally ill high schooler who has been hospitalized. Will works with RJ to complete his bucket list, all the while challenging himself and getting out of his comfort zone and his head to accomplish things that profoundly change him. There's friendship, self confidence, family, friendship, grief, recovery, environmental activism - all kinds of stuff in this book. It touched me and made me cry.… (altro)