To be able to tie together a ton of disparate themes in one novel is the mark of a skilled author and Canadian Chad Lucas brings us this wonderful read about friendship and navigating the twisting, shifting waters of middle school all while dealing with family drama. I especially liked that one of the characters was originally from my native Trinidad!
In Thanks a Lot, Universe we meet Brian, an anxious kiddo who sometimes has what he describes as SAWS when in social situations. Instead of messing up by saying the wrong thing he clams up and keeps his head down and thus has earned an unflattering nickname from his peers. Brian has a supportive and loving family but when an unthinkable event happens, he must dig deep within himself to find the strength he needs.
We also meet Ezra, one of Brian's teammates on the basketball team who is finding that he has some complicated feelings of his own in addition to dealing with the slow attenuation of a lifelong friendship. When Ezra finds out that a teammate is in crisis, he has to decide if and how to help out his teammate in their time of need.
I love seeing novels centered on the complicated feelings (angst) that boys experience and, moreover that they can choose kindness even in the face of cruel words and actions and even if it may make them a social pariah. I know that middle school drama is pretty much the same anywhere you go, but I think American kids will be surprised to learn that those kids have a ton in common with them. In thisday and age when bullying is rampant, I loved seeing several upstanders in this novel.
This book will be a hit with ages 10 and above. Some read alikes are The Brave by James Bird, Turtle boy by M. Evan Wolkenstein and Alan Cole is not a coward by Eric Bell.
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