100 Sideways Miles

Smith, A. (2014). 100 sideways miles. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Finn Easton has a near death experience when his mother was killed by a falling horse as they passed under the freeway.  As a result, Finn has had several back surgeries and is epileptic.  Finn feels his father, who is an author, has used his condition in his books, although his father denies it.  Regardless, Finn feels like this is part of his dad's new book.  Finn father also doesn't like that he has a friend named Cade Hernandez.  Cade is rude, arrogant, and impolite to his teachers at school; however, he is a good friend to Finn - especially when Julia Bishop comes to their high school.  Julia was raped by her boyfriend; as a result, she fled Chicago and came to town to get away from him.  Finn falls in love with Julia, and when they kiss, he thinks there will be more to their relationship.  Unfortunately Julia ends up moving back to Chicago.  Finn is crushed by this move and decides to move on with his life because he and Chad have a college visit in Oklahoma to attend.  On their way to Oklahoma, they witness a man who is struggling to survive an accident.  He and his son are trapped in their van in a river.  Saving them makes Finn and Chad realize that they must take their future into their own hands.  The boys change their route to visit Julia in Chicago.

100 Sideways Miles is a novel about a young man who's coming into his own. Finn only wants to be normal.  With Cade's helps, Finn finds his identity and takes his life into his own hands.  

Andrew Smith has written other works.  One is the a 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a Winner of the 2014 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction.

Smith's other works include those in The Wringer Series (The Wringer and Stand-Off), The Marbury Lens, and In The Path Of Falling Objects.

Requirement: Selection by Andrew Smith
Book covers found on Amazon.com






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