Nobody has done more over the years to help Jackson Watt deal with his parents' divorce than his best friend, Brady. Whenever Jackson has felt confused and betrayed, Brady has shown him how to get in trouble in ways that will make his parents blame themselves for his behavior. But when Brady takes off just before the start of their senior year in high school, Jackson finds himself left alone to face some of the biggest changes in his life: like his mother's remarriage and an accident that nearly kills his father. As he struggles through a year where he's expected to be more "grown-up" than the adults surrounding him, Jackson experiences some of life's greatest joys and sorrows-and a final, unexpected lesson from Brady at the gates of Graceland. Award-winning author Barbara Shoup's honest, moving story captures the anger and despondency of growing up in a world where the rules are always changing. Johnny Heller's narration gives spirited voice to all the frustrations of youth.
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"Having an author from my home state made this book enjoyable. Even though I don't LOVE Indiana, it was nice to pick up on things that I knew about. Cities, colleges, etc. that were based on things from Indiana. I also liked the plot and how it was set in the 90s. Good book. :)" — Taylor (4 out of 5 stars)
"Having an author from my home state made this book enjoyable. Even though I don't LOVE Indiana, it was nice to pick up on things that I knew about. Cities, colleges, etc. that were based on things from Indiana. I also liked the plot and how it was set in the 90s. Good book. :)"
“[An] ambitious debut.”
“Jackson is a complex, thoughtful, and completely believable character…That is precisely what makes this beautifully written novel so powerful; Shoup has created a cast of well-developed, well-meaning characters who truly care about one another but who are also trying to achieve personal happiness.…A touching, thought-provoking, and very candid coming-of-age tale.”
“Extremely well drawn and very vivid.”
" Couldn't get into this one. Whole lot of messed up characters. "
" Wish You Were Here by Barbara Shoup (1994) "
" I actually liked this book a lot more than I thought I would. It wasn't amazing or anything, but I enjoyed it. I like the whole story with Jackson and I liked the way it was written! "
Barbara Shoup is the author of several novels, and her short fiction, essays, poetry, and interviews have appeared in the New York Times travel section, Journal of the Jane Austen Society of America, and other publications. Her young adult novels have previously been selected for the American Library Association’s Best Books for Young Adults List.
Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.
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