Book Review: 100 Sideways Miles

100 Sideways Miles

By: Andrew Smith

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Release date: September 2, 2014

Genre: YA contemporary

288 pages

Buy it at Amazon, IndieBound, Book Depository, or Barnes & Noble

Source: ARC kindly provided by publisher



See that quirky cover? It's a great representation of the novel. There are elements that are light and beautiful, and others that make one eyebrow raise. There are lots of things that are perfectly ordinary and familiar, yet not in the combination presented. This novel stands out as interesting and unique, just as its cover does.

Finn Easton, our hero, certainly has an interesting back story. There is a reason that he's quirky, counting time in terms of miles traveled, and calling his friends always by their full names. He repeats his story several times throughout the novel, and I remember getting a different feeling each time he tells it- and yet, in the end, this huge event isn't what defines him; it's instead what he chooses for himself that makes him who he is.


His best friend, Cade Hernandez, is the boy no parents want hanging around their children. He's a hot mess of hormones and irresponsibility, but his loyalty to Finn is nothing but admirable. He's certainly a source of entertainment for the other characters as well as the reader.

Of course there is a gorgeous girl; thankfully, she's the type to surprise Finn into learning more about himself. Also thankfully, the whole "gorgeous girl" storyline doesn't overshadow the real magic: a boy finally learning who he is, and not being disappointed in himself.

I hope I see this on lots of library shelves, and consequently in the hands of lots of young readers. Finn's is a perfect story to cultivate readers' self-discovery, which is a teen's #1 job. This book deserves to be widely read for just that reason.

Summary:

Finn Easton sees the world through miles instead of minutes. It’s how he makes sense of the world, and how he tries to convince himself that he’s a real boy and not just a character in his father’s bestselling cult-classic book. Finn has two things going for him: his best friend, the possibly-insane-but-definitely-excellent Cade Hernandez, and Julia Bishop, the first girl he’s ever loved.

Then Julia moves away, and Finn is heartbroken. Feeling restless and trapped in the book, Finn embarks on a road trip with Cade to visit their college of choice in Oklahoma. When an unexpected accident happens and the boys become unlikely heroes, they take an eye-opening detour away from everything they thought they had planned—and learn how to write their own destiny.