Six Impossible Things

May 11, 2015
Fourteen-year-old Dan finds out just how quickly life can change when his father moves out after announcing that he’s bankrupt and gay. Dan and his jobless mother move into a malodorous Victorian house they have inherited from an aunt, where things go from bad to worse. Attending public school is a nightmare for “private school refugee” Dan, and his mother can’t get her wedding cake business off the ground because she keeps talking brides out of getting married. In the depth of his misery, Dan creates a list of six “impossible” desires he wants to fulfill, including getting a job, not being a “complete nerd/loser,” and reconnecting with his father. At the top of his list is to “kiss Estelle,” his new next-door neighbor and secret crush. With sensitivity and humor, Wood (Wildlife) traces the roller-coaster life of a boy in the midst of significant upheaval. Dan’s honesty, smarts, and earnest efforts to do good may not earn him any popularity points at school, but they will win readers’ affection and admiration. Ages 12–up. Agent: Cheryl Pientka, Jill Grinberg Literary Management.

June 15, 2015
A young teen seeks platonic, familial, and romantic connections. Dan's life has gone from socially poor but financially privileged to cliche-level terrible now that his father has lost the family fortune, come out, and left his mother. Having moved into a grand but drafty and smelly historic house left them by his mother's great-aunt Adelaide, Dan's dread of starting at a new school halfway through the year is both mitigated and sharpened by his crush on his gorgeous next-door neighbor, Estelle. When Dan discovers that Estelle maintains a secret aerie in their shared attic space, he's unable to resist the temptation to read the diaries she keeps there, but his guilt over this violation builds as he and Estelle slowly establish a flirty friendship. Aussie Wood makes Dan struggle realistically to overcome his problems: he and his mother clash over their money woes and his refusal to speak to his father; his job options are limited due to his youth; and he's so afraid of saying the wrong thing at school that he clams up and occasionally faints. Over time, he matures and takes risks, reaping both the rewards and consequences of his choices. The excitement culminates in the time-honored way-at a school dance-setting up a finale readers will gobble up. This romance is effervescent and sweet, but it offers welcome substance along with the sparkle. (Fiction. 12-16)

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April 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-Nerd-boy Dan is nursing a huge crush on next-door neighbor Estelle but is also coping with the dissolution of his family. His dad recently came out as gay and ruined the family's finances, leaving Dan and his mom no other choice but to live in her late great-aunt's dilapidated house in the suburbs. Meanwhile, he's discovered how compatible he and Estelle are by snooping into her diary, much to his personal shame. Trying to fit in his new school as a former private school student, finally being on speaking terms with his dad, getting a job, and kissing Estelle are just some of the six impossible things on the protagonist's wish list. Wood convincingly portrays Dan as a slightly self-centered teen who believably transforms into a more thoughtful young adult. Whether it's trying to cheer up his mom, whose wedding cake business is going to bust because she keeps convincing brides-to-be in the faultiness of marriage, or pairing up best friend Fred with new friend Lou, Dan begins to put others before himself, becoming more "good" along the way. School dances, first dates, and sneaking out are just some of the high school hijinks that are humorously depicted with a fresh perspective. Secondary characters, such as older brother-type Oliver and Estelle's biting best friend, Janie, add complexity to the narrative. This companion novel taking place before the events of the author's Wild (Little, Brown, 2014) shines on its own merit. VERDICT Snappy dialogue, charming characters, even pacing, and poignant sentence-level writing make this offering a must-have.-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 It's bad enough that Dan's father has plunged his family into dire financial straits. But Dan has more than that to deal with: his dad is gay, his parents have split up, and he's stuck living in his late, great-aunt's moldering, antique-stuffed, mausoleum-like house. The saving grace is his beautiful neighbor, Estelle, whom he's already decided he loves, though he's such an oddball, his chances with her are slim. As he tries to navigate his new school, prevent his mother from tanking her burgeoning wedding-cake business, and come to terms with his dad's sudden departure, Dan is drawn awkwardly but endearingly into Estelle's orbit. Though the plot occasionally relies too much on coincidence, Australian author Wood (Wildlife, 2014) has created a pitch-perfect teen voice in Dan's first-person narrative. He's by turns sorrowful, impulsive, caring, and funny, with occasionally brilliant turns of phrase: I feel like a lemon rolling down the apple chute. It's refreshing to see a romance from a teen boy's perspective, and Dan is a Romeo to root for.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2015
Dan is reeling from some recent news. Just after his parents started fighting about money, his mum's great-aunt died and left them a house. Unfortunately, his dad then announced he was bankrupt, gay, and leaving them. Stunned and angry, Dan still manages to relate his story with plenty of humor: Guys, please, one life-changing shock at a time. Readers will fall hard for this total (and totally adorable) nerd. He and his mum move into Great-aunt Adelaide's house, not far from best friend Fredthough Dan won't be attending their swanky private school anymore. At his new school, unlucky Dan quickly makes an enemy of a bully, who turns the whole student body against him. He does make one friend, Louand sets her up with brainy and sarcastic Fred, a match made in geek heaven. At home, Dan falls for Estelle (the nice-but-unattainable girl-next-door); refuses his dad's phone calls; and worries about his mum's new business (she keeps talking her wedding-cake customers out of getting married). How all turns out swell in the end is a bit convenient but well earned by this truly decent and funny protagonist. Australian author Wood's novel Wildlife (rev. 11/14), although published here earlier, is actually this book's sequel, and those who read it will (sadly) recognize Lou as its smart, witty, and deeply grief-stricken co-narrator. jennifer m. brabander

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)