Boy21

TEEN – QUI

Author – Matthew Quick

Age – 13+

Finley doesn’t talk much, but his girlfriend Erin doesn’t mind. With a shared passion for basketball they’re always training or practising together. When Coach asks Finley to look after a new kid at school, Finley is OK with that. He does what his elders (especially Coach) ask him to do. It’s how Dad and Pop raised him.

This new boy is Russell Washington – the best high school ball player Coach has ever seen. But Russell is also the son of one of Coach’s best friends, and he wants to look after him. Especially since Russ’ parents were murdered, and Russ has come to live with his grandparents in their town of Bellmont. He is going to go by the name Russ Allen, so no-one knows who he really is.

The problem is, Russ wants to be called Boy21, claiming to be an extra terrestrial and waiting for his fellow aliens to collect him after he has studied human’s emotions on Earth.

This was a great story about male relationships – sons, fathers, friends, teachers, coaches, grandfathers, team mates and more.

(Sport, Basketball, Space, Grief, Love, Friendship, Family)