Not Nothing
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Table of Contents
About The Book
In this multigenerational middle grade novel of hope, compassion, and forgiveness from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman that is as timely as it is timeless, a boy who has been assigned to spend his summer volunteering at a senior living facility learns unexpected lessons that change the trajectory of his life.
Alex is twelve, and he did something very, very bad. A judge sentences him to spend his summer volunteering at a retirement home where he’s bossed around by an annoying and self-important do-gooder named Maya-Jade. He hasn’t seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don’t want him, and Shady Glen’s geriatric residents seem like zombies to him.
Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He has evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp—all thanks to the heroism of a woman named Olka and his own ability to sew. But now he spends his days in room 206 at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting (and waiting and waiting) to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey’s door…and Josey begins to tell Alex his story.
As Alex comes back again and again to hear more, an unlikely bond grows between them. Soon a new possibility opens up for Alex: Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing that he’s ever done?
About The Author
Award-winning author and journalist Gayle Forman has written several bestselling novels, including those in the Just One Day series, Where She Went, and the #1 New York Times bestseller If I Stay, which has been translated into more than forty languages and was adapted into a major motion picture. Her first middle grade novel, Frankie & Bug, was a New York Times Best Children’s Book of 2021. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
Product Details
- Publisher: Aladdin (August 27, 2024)
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665943277
- Ages: 10 - 99
Raves and Reviews
* "A touching story of hope and resilience. . . . Powerful."
–School Library Journal, starred review
"Forman crafts a unique story, told in the voice of a wiser, older character; everything feels close and personal, from Alex’s present to Jozef’s past. She captures the quietly powerful moments of feeling seen and known, how friendships can make a bleak life feel fresh with possibilities, and how a person’s worst moments need not shape their future."
–The Horn Book
"Not Nothing is a luminous gift, a story that respects and acknowledges the complexity of the human experience—and, by extension, the complexity of its readers. I loved it."
– -Elana Arnold, Printz Honor-winning author of Damsel, Far From Fair, and The Boy Called Bat series
* "Forman is a master of the slow, heart-wrenching reveal . . . those who stick with this story will be richly rewarded."
–Booklist, starred review
* "Powerful, heartbreaking, and hopeful."
–Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "This tale of intergenerational friendship forged through a shared understanding of loss by Forman (Frankie and Bug) is told with spellbinding grace and wrought with exquisite structuring that quietly highlights the heartrending parallels between Josey’s WWII remembrances and Alex’s current struggles."
–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Not Nothing is a beautifully-written, poignant, life-affirming gem about ordinary people doing extraordinary things during unimaginable times. Ultimately, it’s a story about stories, those spoken memories handed down from generation to generation that inspire us all to ‘rise to the occasion of our lives’. Bravo, Gayle Forman!”
– —R. J. Palacio, Bestselling author of Wonder, White Bird, and Pony
“This stunning, masterfully told story of compassion, forgiveness, and joy is the book we all need at the time we all need it. Profound, heart-healing, and life-changing.”
–Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award-winning author of The One and Only Ivan
“Not Nothing is a masterpiece. It has so many feelings and moral conundrums and ultra-urgent themes—it should be a community-wide read all over the country. Timely, funny, perfect.”
– —Adam Gidwitz, bestselling author of Newbery Honor Book The Inquisitor's Tale and Max in the House of Spies
“Tenderly layered and beautifully constructed. Forman weaves an intensely moving portrait of stories separated by generations but inextricably connected by the experience of having known love and lost it.”
– —Ruta Sepetys, author of Carnegie Medal-winning Salt to the Sea and international bestseller Between Shades of Gray
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High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Not Nothing Hardcover 9781665943277
- Author Photo (jpg): Gayle Forman Laina Karavani(0.1 MB)
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