This was one of those, teen, finding yourself novels. It was good, but I think I was expecting more out of this than I got. Probably because the first line was "I have a secret. Everyone knows it but me." Maybe I was thinking too much about that to really get into the book, I don't know. I'm not sure how exactly to explain what I was looking for or what was missing, but something was. ( )

It has been a long time since a novel hit me this hard. Am I happy with the somewhat-cliche ending? No. But that doesn't stop it from being emotionally powerful. Incredible use of dialogue, and the narrator's voice is compelling. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. ( )

I keep going back and forth on this. This book could've been a 5 for me, but yet I'm partly tempted to give it a 3. I liked the voice and the character. And the subject matter. I just.. it's the story I'm uncertain on. And I'm kind of mad at the ending. But yea.. hard to say more without spoiling.

Goodreads recommended this book based on other things I read and I guess I'm not sorry it did.

The typos in the book annoyed me though. Two -- things (what are those called?) that were supposed to be hyphens, two letters transposed in a name, a sequence of 3 words that were out of order and two redundant, and a 'carol' that should've been 'carrel' and actually _was_ 'carrel' about two sentences before that.

Have you ever noticed how some books have _more_ errors the further into the book you go? Like the copyeditor just got tired, or bored, or wandered off.

Anyway, striking cover anyway, right? ( )

This book has a truly violent and scary underlayer. Sprout is a complex and interesting young man, and he's surrounded by odd characters and strange reverberations from his past. His mom's dead, his dad's a drunk, his kinda-sorta-boyfriend's.. well, that'd be a spoiler. The characters are well-drawn and eccentric. I'm not really sure how I feel about this one- it's disturbing and unresolved and what Wendy Burton would probably call a 'boy book' in a slightly dismissive tone. Peck's work has been hit or miss for me, with the standout being [b:Drift House: The First Voyage|19983|Drift House The First Voyage|Dale Peck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167290872s/19983.jpg|1931660]. This, for me, doesn't reach those giddy heights, but it's certainly worth a read for the disorientation factor alone. ( )

Sprout is a sarcastic, wonderful, kind-hearted narrator. He plays tricks on the reader but never out of malice. He struggles with mistakes he and the others in his life have made, tries to find fun and joy in a world that often tries to squash it out of him, and he will steal your heart. ( )