Federle, Tim. The Great American Whatever.

Federle, Tim.  The Great American Whatever.     Simon & Schuster/ 2016  288p  $17.99  ISBN 978-1-4814-0409-9      hs/adult      Realistic fiction   E-BN           

Quinn is grieving hard for his sister Annabeth, who died in a car accident six months ago. His father left and his mother won’t leave the house, eat right, pay the bills, or move on in any way. Quinn’s best friend, Geoff, wants Quinn to get his life back and takes him to a party here Quinn meets Amir, the first man he can honestly say is his type. Throughout the story, Quinn puts some of his thoughts into screenplays, something he and Annabeth worked on together, he wrote and she directed ... but now that is gone. After being out in the world, Quinn discovers some things about Annabeth and what was really happening in her life that turn him around. Quinn and Geoff have a great relationship, as do Quinn and his mother, and the witty banter sounds genuine and heart-felt, even when people are not happy with one another. Readers will cheer for Quinn and hope for his recovery from such a tragedy.  This would be highly recommended for high-school libraries as there is language and sexual scenes, but they fit right into the story and add to it greatly.     

Summary: Quinn lost his sister in a car accident six months ago and hasn’t left the house since. His best friend, Geoff, is determined to get him back into the swing of life and starts by taking him to a college party with his sister Carly, where Quinn meets Amir, the first man he finds himself attracted to.

Grief-Fiction, Homosexuality-Fiction                              --Erin Daley

Federle, Tim. Better Nate Than Ever.

Federle, Tim.  Better Nate Than Ever.     Simon & Schuster/ 2013  275p  $16.99  978-1-4424-6091-1  ms/jr  Realistic Fiction      VG   

Thirteen-year-old Nate lives to win a role on ET: The Musical on Broadway.  His best friend Libby encourages him to take a bus to New York City, where he learns that his dream will not be easy to achieve.   With his parents away and big brother Anthony at a track meet, Nate’s chances of escaping Jankburg, Pennsylvania, are excellent.  He has it timed perfectly.  However, he greatly underestimates all of the obstacles he will encounter when he arrives in New York City!  Instead of falling flat on his face, Nate combines his comedic resourcefulness with his creativity and lands a call-back!   Examples of his obstacles include having no formal dance experience, having no formal acting experience and having no parent to sign for him!  Just when he departs the audition dejectedly, his Aunt Heidi appears and signs for him, and he gets a chance to audition.  (Back home, Libby aptly problem-solved his biggest obstacle  by telling Anthony what was transpiring in New York City, and together they found out the whereabouts of the savior Aunt Heidi.)  Armed with a parental figure, Nathan auditions, and he succeeds in getting his callback by acting out every role in the scene! 

Everybody who has a dream that seems to be insurmountable will profit by reading this book!  Nate’s tenacious spirit combines with some luck and some talent to help him bounce back after several rejections.  In the end, there is no end!  The phone call with the decision of a lifetime does not tell the reader whether or not Nathan got the role, and the reader will have to wait for Book Two.  If there is no promise of a second book, readers will be disappointed.  Nevertheless, the New York City adventures combined with Nate’s sense of humor and side comments are certain to entertain!       

Show business – Fiction                   --Martha Squaresky(2), Martha