Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie (Paperback)
Staff Reviews
Can a book be too good? It's possible! Resonates with so many. Sonnenblick has pulled off a rare feat. Not only did he make this story about a 13-year-old boy, whose little brother contracts leukemia, real and raw and heart-rending, he made it hysterically funny as well. Steven Alper, who is untalented in sports but terrific on the drums, is giving his pesky five-year-old brother Jeffrey oatmeal when Jeffrey, who has been complaining recently that his "parts hurt," falls off a stool and gets a nosebleed that just won't quit. That night Steven finds out that Jeffrey has leukemia. Although the plot—Steven's stressed-out family has no energy for him and he becomes a source of strength for his brother while simultaneously falling apart himself—is conventional, the subsidiary characters at home, school and the hospital have a flesh-and-blood reality and the situations ring true. Moreover, the reader falls in love with the brothers, laughing and crying by turns and rooting for both of them until it almost hurts. (Fiction. 12+)
Booklist Starred Review
— Kirsten H.Description
A brave and beautiful story that will make readers laugh, and break their hearts at the same time. Now with a special note from the author!Steven has a totally normal life (well, almost).He plays drums in the All-City Jazz Band (whose members call him the Peasant), has a crush on the hottest girl in school (who doesn't even know he's alive), and is constantly annoyed by his younger brother, Jeffrey (who is cuter than cute - which is also pretty annoying). But when Jeffrey gets sick, Steven's world is turned upside down, and he is forced to deal with his brother's illness, his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece, his homework, the band, girls, and Dangerous Pie (yes, you'll have to read the book to find out what that is!).
About the Author
Jordan Sonnenblick is the author of the acclaimed Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, After Ever After, Notes from the Midnight Driver, Zen and the Art of Faking It, Falling Over Sideways, and The Secret Sheriff of Sixth Grade. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children.
Praise For…
Praise for DRUMS, GIRLS, AND DANGEROUS PIE:"A brave book . . . Jordan Sonnenblick carries it off with such charm and elan, you forget for a moment your heart is breaking." -- Frank McCourt, author of ANGELA'S ASHES* "Sonnenblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself." -- BOOKLIST, starred review"The reader falls in love with the brothers, laughing and crying by turns and rooting for both of them until it almost hurts." – KIRKUS REVIEWS
Praise for DRUMS, GIRLS, AND DANGEROUS PIE:"A brave book . . . Jordan Sonnenblick carries it off with such charm and elan, you forget for a moment your heart is breaking." -- Frank McCourt, author of ANGELA'S ASHES* "Sonnenblick shows that even in the midst of tragedy, life goes on, love can flower, and the one thing you can always change is yourself." -- BOOKLIST, starred review"The reader falls in love with the brothers, laughing and crying by turns and rooting for both of them until it almost hurts." – KIRKUS REVIEWS