Mayday - Hardcover

Harrington, Karen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0316298018 ISBN 13: 9780316298018

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2016

Synopsis

In the tradition of Counting By 7s and The Thing About Jellyfish, a heartwarming coming-of-age story about grief, family, friendship, and the importance of finding your voice

Wayne Kovok lives in a world of After. After his uncle in the army was killed overseas. After Wayne and his mother survived a plane crash while coming back from the funeral. After he lost his voice.

Wayne has always used his love of facts to communicate ("Did you know more people die each year from shaking a vending machine than from shark attacks?"). Without his voice, how will he wow the prettiest girl in school? How will he stand up to his drill-sergeant grandfather? And how will he share his hopes with his deadbeat dad? It's not until Wayne loses his voice completely that he realizes how much he doesn't say.

Filled with Karen Harrington's signature heart and humor, Mayday tackles an unforgettable journey of family and friendship.

About this title

About the Author:

Karen Harrington was born in Texas, where she still lives with her husband and children. She is the author of Sure Signs of Crazy and Courage for Beginners. You can visit her karenharringtonbooks.com.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5-8-Wayne Kovok is a descendant of Dalton war heroes from the Revolution to the present, as his grandpa reminds him constantly-though he also reminds Wayne that he is a Kovok, not a Dalton. His dad, the Flee, promises trips to concerts but shows up with T-shirts after he's gone by himself-if he shows up at all. Finally, there's Wayne's sort of girlfriend, who clearly thinks she can do much better. Wayne fights all this negativity with an encyclopedia of facts to plug into awkward silences. So when he and his mom survive a plane crash, following the burial of his Uncle Reed at Arlington, and Wayne loses his voice, communication with his family gets even harder. Wayne's is an authentic, funny, and sometimes sarcastic teen voice, which comes through clearly, even when he can't speak out loud. As the narrator, he is the fulcrum of the story, but other characters are defined, distinct, and developed. Family relationships are realistic, sometimes painfully so, as Wayne fights to find his own voice both figuratively and literally. The story is a bit long, with a few too many strands, all of which are resolved in the end, somewhat improbably. However, the positive aspects outweigh the few flaws in this sweet tale of survival, heroism, and the search for strength. VERDICT A solid purchase for middle graders looking for more realistic fiction.-Katherine Koenig, The Ellis School, PAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0316298018
• ISBN 13: 9780316298018
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352