I have been looking forward to Kody Keplinger’s new middle
grade book for a while now. I discovered Keplinger when I picked up her first
book (written while she was a teenager!) DUFF:
Designated Ugly Fat Friend. I instantly loved it and all its truth. From
then on I have anxiously waited each of her new novels. When I read that her 4th
novel, The Swift Boys & Me, was
going going to be a middle grade story about 12-year-old Nola’s friendship with
her next door neighbors, the 3 Swift brothers, I was definitely intrigued.
The story starts off with the boys’ dad leaving them. This
completely destroys their world and ultimately Nola’s. Their days of carefree
friendship are gone as the boys are thrust into a world of complete chaos. As
the boys go down different paths, Nola desperately tries to keep everything the
same. It seems without the Swift boys she is equally lost.
Keplinger does a wonderful job of taking you down memory
lane. I was instantly thrown back to my days as a 6th grader and all
the fun that was had from sleepovers, jumping on trampolines, bike riding, and
causing mayhem in my local neighborhood. I often caught myself smiling and reminiscing
of the good ole days when life was much simpler with the exception of friend
drama…just like for Nola. Whether or not this life is still typical for today’s
12-year-old I do not know. The age of technology has thrust today’s preteen
into a whole new atmosphere that I couldn’t imagine.
All the characters in The
Swift Boys & Me are impossible not to love and grow attached to. I
would totally be okay if Keplinger decided to turn this stand alone novel into
a series or come back later on as the characters have gotten older. If you are
looking for a sweet story of friendship and growing up then I would recommend
that you check out The Swift Boys &
Me (and while you’re at it – get The
Duff because it is fabulous!)
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