Bibliovermis

The Things a Brother Knows, by Dana Reinhardt

05 Aug 2011 ★ ★ ★ ★☆ ☆ bookshop.orgBuy the book

Levi thought his family would go back to normal when his brother returned from war. But Boaz has changed. The new Boaz won’t talk to anyone or leave his room. He jumps at loud noises. He won’t ride in cars. Levi can hear his nightmares through the wall. But when Boaz leaves home on foot, Levi goes too. Because this new Boaz is still his brother.

Good for: Young adults. The main character's distinctly teenage interests and ambitions are a good framing point for the story of his brother's PTSD. The book is about how this trauma affects Levi's entire family. It is well done, but the YA perspective makes everything a bit simplified. A warning: check to make sure your copy was printed correctly—mine had a lot of blank pages that were not supposed to be blank!

Comments

pfabic said:On Aug 06, 11 at 12:50pm

That's so odd to have blank pages - who was the publisher? Anyway, interesting subject for a YA book. How'd you hear about the book?

Audrey said:On Aug 06, 11 at 9:01pm

I know! And it was so frustrating. I got my copy from the library, and I believe the publisher was Wendy Lamb Books. I heard about the book on NPR, actually!

Add a comment