Because You'll Never Meet Me (Because You'll Never Meet Me, #1) in 2016 Hub Reading Challenge

Jul 06, 2015 Bethany Miller rated it really liked it

Shelves: 1st-choice-books, royal

Because you’ll never meet me is the story of two boys living an ocean apart from each other who form a friendship that changes them both and unlocks mysteries of the past. Ollie lives in a cabin in the woods with his mother never venturing beyond the boundaries of their property. He is allergic to electricity and coming in contact with it can cause life threatening seizures. Besides his mother, the only person that Ollie comes into contact with is his doctor – Auburn-Stache - who visits a couple Because you’ll never meet me is the story of two boys living an ocean apart from each other who form a friendship that changes them both and unlocks mysteries of the past. Ollie lives in a cabin in the woods with his mother never venturing beyond the boundaries of their property. He is allergic to electricity and coming in contact with it can cause life threatening seizures. Besides his mother, the only person that Ollie comes into contact with is his doctor – Auburn-Stache - who visits a couple times a month. For a while there was Liz, but she stops coming to visit for reasons that are revealed later in the story. One day Auburn-Stache suggests that Ollie become penpals with a German boy who also suffers from an ailment that makes him a loner. Mortiz was born with no eyes, but he is able to “see” through an ability akin to echolocation. He also has a pacemaker because of a defect in his heart, so even if they didn’t live on different continents, it would be impossible for the two boys to meet. Unlike Ollie, Mortiz is able to attend school, but his otherness makes him as isolated as Ollie is in many ways. Ollie and Mortiz tell their stories through the letters they exchange and eventually come to realize that they have more in common than they ever thought possible.

Because you’ll never meet me is a very well written and unique novel that defies easy categorization. It starts out feeling contemporary, but by the end leans more towards science fiction. Regardless of the genre, the author has created memorable characters that will bring readers to laughter and tears. Ollie and Mortiz are fully developed characters who each have their own unique voice. Ollie’s letters are bursting with humor and curiosity while Mortiz has a much more serious tone and shies away from what he refers to as Ollie’s “needling” questions about his life and his past, in particular the lab where he spent a large part of his childhood. The secondary characters in the book come to life through the descriptions of the two boys. All are quirky, but they also seem like real people. Telling the story through the letters between Ollie and Mortiz works well. It takes the boys a while to trust each other so the reader is held in suspense as they hint at events that aren’t revealed until later in the book. When Mortiz’s letters stop altogether for a time, the reader feels Ollie’s anxiety about what could have happened to his friend. The novel takes a bit of a left turn at the end that some readers may find perplexing, but I highly recommend it for readers with an open mind who like a story that goes in unexpected directions.
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Feb 01, 2016 Kit rated it really liked it

Shelves: award-winners, lgbtq, boys-ra, scifi-or-dystopian, 2016-diversity-reads, 2016-hub-reading-challenge

whew, that one took FOREVER to finish. realistic fiction (with sci-fi elements) about two boys, isn't really my favorite type of story. it was good, but not so amazing that I got past the fact that it was a story about 2 boys. I just found it hard to identify with these two guys. ...more

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Dec 17, 2015 Molly rated it it was ok

I'm glad this was a Morris nominee, because I probably wouldn't have read it, otherwise, and it will be one I'll recommend to certain readers. The letter format and the voice didn't really resonate with me personally, but it's definitely got appeal. ...more

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Dec 04, 2015 Anna Chappell rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this. The two viewpoints are great, and even their way of writing/using words is part of their characterizations. 4.5 stars!

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Dec 29, 2015 Abbey rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, morris-challenge-2016, hub-challenge-2016

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Jan 13, 2016 Julie Trapp rated it it was amazing

This was a great book. Told in mostly alternating chapters of letters written to each other by 2 young boys - one allergic to electricity & the other has a pacemaker. This is one I will definitely recommend to the students.

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