Turtle Boy

SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER

A boy who has spent his life living inside a shell discovers the importance of taking chance in this "winner" (Booklist, starred review) of a friendship story that's perfect for fans of Wonder.

It's the year of Will Levine's bar mitzvah, and for his community service project, he's expected to go to the hospital to visit RJ, an older boy struggling with an incurable disease. Will can't think of anything worse, mainly because he will have to face his fear of hospitals. Life in the seventh grade isn't much easier. The kids are relentless--they bully Will because of his funny looking chin.

When Will and RJ first meet, they DO NOT get along. Then RJ shares his bucket list with Will. Among the things he wants to do: ride a roller coaster; go to a school dance; swim in the ocean. To Will, happiness is hanging out in his room, alone, preferably with the turtles he collects. But as RJ's disease worsens, Will realizes he needs to tackle the bucket list on RJ's behalf before it's too late. It seems like an impossible mission, way outside Will's comfort zone. But as he completes each task with RJ's guidance, Will learns that life is too short to live in a shell.

"Everyone deserves a friend like Will Levine." --Lynne Kelly, author of Song for a Whale

M. EVAN WOLKENSTEIN is a high school teacher and writer. He attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies, and Hebrew University. His work can be found in Tablet magazine and the Washington Post, and on BimBam.com. He lives with his wife and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area. Turtle Boy is his debut novel.