It's sort of a sequel to The Wednesday Wars, but more like a cousin--related because it's about a character who was in the first book, but not a book where you'll be confused if you haven't read the predecessor. It's a spinoff. As usual, I don't want to tell you much about the plot; the protagonist is Doug Swieteck, whose family moves away to tiny Marysville and has to start a new life. The pain in Doug's family kind of kills you--he has a horrible abusive father and two older brothers who are not that much better, one of whom is off fighting in Vietnam. But believe me when I tell you that you will feel good about the way this family's story develops.
Like the works of Shakespeare in The Wednesday Wars, the paintings of John James Audubon are a theme throughout the book--and if you just clicked on that link and got totally turned off to it, don't worry, because they're not something that would have interested me either, but they actually form a really beautiful part of the story. The focus isn't on the paintings themselves but on how Doug reacts to them, how they relate to his feelings and the events in his life, and that part is really lovely.
This is the kind of book that, for me, completely justifies the reading of YA and young reader books by adults. Its target age group is 9-12, but it has more emotional depth and excellent writing than many adult novels do, and I think any adult would find it fulfilling to read.
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