Breaking Boxes

Winner of the 14th annual Delacorte Prize, Breaking Boxes just may break your heart. It's the story of a loner named Charlie Calmont, his older brother Trent, and how they get by after both of their parents are gone. Most of the time Charlie feels lucky: Trent never hassles him, and, for the most part, they get on fine with fish sticks and canned vegetables. The calm disappears, though, when Charlie gets suspended for fighting with guys at school who care more about the kind of shoes he wears than who Charlie is on the inside. In this alternately heart-warming and heart-breaking tale, A. M. Jenkins tells what happens to Charlie after he befriends one of the guys who tried to beat him up. What is a friend, anyway? How will Charlie, who's never had many friends, know when it's appropriate to open his heart for a new friend or when it's time to shut himself off from the world and act cool? Charlie Calmont is a teenage loner. His parents are gone and except for his older brother, Trent, he doesn't need anyone, especially friends. But when Charlie ends up suspended after a school fight, he meets Brandon Chase, and things begin to change. Even though privileged Brandon hangs with the moneyed crowd, Charlie discovers there's a real person underneath the rich kid exterior. For once, Charlie makes a connection, and allows himself to care. Until he reveals something about Trent . . . and Brandon turns away.


Genre: Young Adult Fiction