Funny and dry! Love it. I skipped some of the book club discussion but I enjoyed this YA thoroughly!

Annie Boots has one year left in the system, and then she will finally be able to live her life on her own terms.  It's just too bad that one year can feel so dang long.  Though Annie is in a long-term foster care placement with a loving family, the Howards, things have become very strained.  In fact, she is afraid that her ongoing connection to her bio-family has been straining her relationship with Pop Howard so much that she might not last another year in that house.  Pop Howard is always arguing with Momma Howard about how to handle Annie's rebellious behavior and lies, and he thinks they should just completely cut ties with the entire Boots clan.  Annie is torn, though, because she is holding out hope that she can somehow save her mom and sister from themselves and their self-destructive choices so that they can be a family again -- especially since her nephew, Frankie, is in the mix.  Thank goodness she has a strong support system (including her foster brother, a few close friends, a social worker, and a local youth services librarian) to help her navigate the chaos in her life.

One of the things I love most about Chris Crutcher's books is just how real all of his characters feel.  It's not truly surprising to see how accurately he portrays young people in his books, though, when you take into account his experiences as a family therapist and child-protection specialist.  He's not just guessing at how kids and teens might react to these terrible sitations; he has been in the trenches and seen kids and teens living stories just like these.  This novel is relatively short and weaves in sports, action, and mystery, so it has multiple doors through which to attract readers.  Best of all, the heaviness of this story is balanced out with humor and a sense of hope.

Happy Reading!

Thanks Chris Crutcher, for helping me to understand the generation in progress. As an old, childless person, I know little about the kids around me and what they're up against. Crutcher knows them pretty well and I think its important that he is trying to get the word out about their struggles. He lives in my neck of the woods so I enjoy the local references. I also know he is a swimmer, a kindred spirit. Our library network needs more copies of this book

Thanks Chris Crutcher, for helping me to understand the generation in progress. As an old, childless person, I know little about the kids around me and what they're up against. Crutcher knows them pretty well and I think its important that he is trying to get the word out about their struggles. He lives in my neck of the woods so I enjoy the local references. I also know he is a swimmer, a kindred spirit. Our library network needs more copies of this book

I think I’d like goodreads to allow half stars just for this book. It’s not great enough for 5 for 2 reasons but it’s better than just a 4. The two things that kept it from 5 greatness were: secondary characters were suddenly spotlighted without enough background to get why AND I sometimes had trouble believing the way things played out.

However, Chris Crutcher sure can write, huh? I have recommended him for years based on other folks’ words of praise and the fact that his books include sports. But I have read 2 of his titles in as many months and I really dig his style. Straightforward and unapologetic. It’s refreshing.

Thanks to Greenwillow Publishing and Edelweiss for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5 for Chris Crutcher’s newest. I have been reading his stuff since I was in high school, and I was super excited to read his latest. Annie is a high school senior who has been through the foster system more times than she can count. Her mom, Nancy, keeps losing her and then temporarily cleaning herself up, and the cycle has landed Annie is a good permanent foster home. The problem is, Annie can’t quit Nancy. She seeks out every sport she can possibly try and takes the long way around (through the losers bracket) in order to give Nancy chances to see her. When the stakes rise, Annie has to decide if her bio mom will really ever give her what she needs, or if she needs to truly move on. Recommended for grades 9+.

Annie Boots is straddling two worlds - her bio family and her foster family. She's been lucky - the foster family she lives with was able to get her back each and every time her bio mom, Nancy, lost custody. And Annie knows she's lucky. She also knows she can't get away from her bio family. When her nephew is kidnapped, that's even more apparent.

Told from first person, Annie's story is littered with some of the problems with child custody and foster care. Her sister, Sheila, was not as lucky as Annie, which is alluded to but never actually discussed. Annie has a good support system and she recognizes that she's lucky. Swearing is abundant here, but drug use and sex happen off-page. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I’ve read a few reviews of this book, and some folks have said it’s a depressing book. I disagree. Yes, Annie, the honest, comical, and downright lovable narrator, has lots of crap going on in her life, but she does right by her family and by herself. I want my 8th graders to read this book because I know several of them can relate to this book. I could relate to the book because of what I’ve seen some of my students go through. I think it’s depressing for some folks because they can’t imagine that kind of chaos and discord in a teenager’s life, but that shit happens. We can’t turn a blind eye to it. One more thing. I loved Annie’s voice from the get-go. I could hear her honesty, worries, and concerns from the very first page. She will make it.

2.5 stars

SPOILERS:


I really enjoyed this book up until the ending. I know it’s basically a story about the foster care system and Annie’s personal struggle with her biological family but holy hell, you mean to tell me that you can straight up try to kill your kid and yourself and social services might still give you a chance to parent them in the future?!!!

I know Annie’s sister Sheila is reflective of how broken the system is since she too was a kid uprooted from her toxic family and thrown into even worse foster families but come on...