A 2014 Alex Award Winner
Stopped at the port authority in Dover with a lot of weed in his glove compartment, Alex Woods is finally in police custody after being searched for for several days. You might think he has been on a crime spree or out on a Hunter S. Thompson-esque drug binge, but that clearly is not the case as he starts to tell his story. He starts with the meteorite that fell through his roof, hitting him in the head and later causing him to be diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. He spent a lot of his childhood reading, learning more about his brain as well as space, and easily became a target for bullies. It was one of those moments being chased by bullies that led to him becoming friends with Mr. Peterson, a slightly cranky widower with a love of Kurt Vonnegut and classical music. So when Mr. Peterson is diagnosed several years later with a degenerative disease, Alex is prepared to help him in any way possible.
When I started reading this book, I really was not sure where the story was going. I wasn't kidding about not being sure if this would be about a crime spree or a drug binge or something else, so I was pleasantly surprised when it became a story about an unlikely friendship between a child and an adult. Alex is quirky, serious and honestly curious about everything that has happened to him. He doesn't make decisions lightly, so when he decides to help Mr. Peterson, you know he has thought everything through and come to the right one. Mr. Peterson is perfectly curmudgeonly, but you can tell he really cares for Alex, especially after he gets to know him. It's a perfect light read, even though it deals with some serious things. Great for those who enjoy misfits and unlikely friendships.
(Read as part of YALSA's Hub Challenge)
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