Play Audiobook Sample
Play Audiobook Sample
Three unlikely friends become partners in heartbreak and hope during a middle school pottery class in this powerful, poignant novel—perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.
At West Beacon Middle School, eighth graders Oscar Villanueva, Riley Baptiste, and Noah Wright become unlikely friends during Introduction to Clay class. Oscar, a football star, just lost his little sister to cancer. Riley's been dragged away from Philadelphia by her single mom to a new life in West Beacon, a tiny Pennsylvania coal town that's smaller than Riley's old school. Noah's spent his whole life as a homeschooler and just started West Beacon Middle School as a result of his parents' train wreck of a divorce. Through art, football, failure, faith, and trust, the friends help one another to piece things back together again. In true friendship, they also discover that some injuries may never heal, some things can never be unbroken—and that's okay too.
Download and start listening now!
"Bank Street College Best Children's Books of the Year*“Three students united by their respective family troubles form a supportive friendship circle in Acampora’s earnest narrative, which encourages vulnerability and acceptance. . . . Acampora approaches the characters’ struggles with levity and intentional thoughtfulness, making for a tender tale."
— Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Narrator Ozzie Rodriquez establishes a deep, mature voice for Oscar…Narrator Michael Crouch creates a cheery voice for Noah…Narrator Amanda Damron gives a peppy voice to Riley…Listeners will be captivated by these teens as they rely on each other, their families, and their faith to find ways forward.”
— AudioFileA solid story of friendship . . . The characters are multidimensional and compelling, and the plot includes some unexpected turns . . . Despite these twists, the book has a hopeful ending, leaving readers eager to learn more about the characters. A multifaceted, realistic fiction tale.
— School Library JournalWith brokenness as a theme, crushing sadness could have sunk the narrative, but Acampora leavens the story with Noah’s humor, Riley’s tell-it-like-it-is feistiness, and Oscar’s openness to receiving help.
— The Horn BookReminiscent of Gary D. Schwartz’s sparse writing style . . . [A] fine testament to kindness, friendship, and positive parent-child relationships.
— School Library ConnectionWriting with insight and wit, Acampora portrays teens and adults as complicated, sometimes surprising people.
— BooklistBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Ozzie Rodriguez is a narrator, voice artist, and actor of film, television, and the stage, performing in many independent features, such as My Life: Untitled, Escape from South LA, and his co-produced, self-written project Elevator.
Michael Crouch is an actor based in New York City. His audiobook narration has won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the animé series Pokémon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.