Unstoppable Moses
A Novel
ISBN10: 1250138558
ISBN13: 9781250138552
Trade Paperback
352 Pages
$18.99
CA$25.99
Moses and his cousin Charlie were best friends, wisecracking pranksters, unstoppable forces of teenage energy—until the night they became accidental arsonists and set in motion a chain of events that left Moses alone, guilt-stricken, and most likely trapped in his dead-end town.
Then Moses gets a lucky break: the chance to volunteer as a camp counselor for week and prove that the incident at the bowling alley should be expunged from his record. And since a criminal record and enrollment at Duke are mutually exclusive, he’s determined to get through his community service and get on with his life. But tragedy seems to follow him wherever he goes, and this time, it might just stop him in his tracks.
Reviews
Praise for Unstoppable Moses
“A deftly crafted and inherently riveting read from first page to last, Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to school and community libraries.”—Midwest Book Review
“Unstoppable Moses is radiant; one of those rare debut novels that shines with humor, love, compassion, and hope, with a cast of unforgettable characters that jump off the pages and into your heart. Tyler James Smith is a masterful storyteller.”—Andrew Smith, Printz Honor and Boston Globe-Horn Book Award-winning author of Grasshopper Jungle
“When people say reading makes us more empathetic, they are talking about books like Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith. A lyrical, hilarious, so-real-it-hurts debut that reminds us all just how much we have to lose, and why it’s important to never give up. I’m so happy this book is in the world.”—Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, Morris Honor-winning author of The Smell of Other People’s Houses
“A Midwestern teen struggles with loss, guilt, and finding his place in the world without his best friend in this character-driven novel . . . Smith weaves between past and present, exploring growth and personal relationships in this emotional debut.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Smith’s style is reminiscent of John Green’s oeuvre. Balances the characters’ tragic stories with offbeat humor and deftly timed pop culture references . . . an enjoyable read for any fan of contemporary YA fiction.”—ALA Booklist
“Perfect for high school students who love John Green and Jesse Andrews.”—School Library Journal
“In this highly introspective debut novel set during the aftermath of a prank gone terribly wrong, Smith persuasively and empathically portrays Moses’s conflicting emotions as he comes to terms with a traumatic event. This thought-provoking, gut-wrenching novel presents human nature as it is instead of as it should be.”—Publishers Weekly
Reviews from Goodreads
BOOK EXCERPTS
Read an Excerpt
ONE: MY HATE CRIME
CHARLIE BALTIMORE MURDERED ME when we were eight years old.
We had broken into his dad’s—my uncle’s—home office because we’d watched Raiders of the Lost Ark and because his dad had recently...