Trouble

Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt (released on April 21st, 2008)

Schmidt
has created another wonder of a work, completely different once again
from his previous books but just as rich in language while remaining
easy to read and devour.

Henry's father always told him that if
you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will
never find you.  But Trouble finds their family anyway when Henry's
older brother is hit by a truck while out jogging.  The truck is driven
by Chay Chouan, a Cambodian teen, sparking racial tensions that had
been simmering for some time.  Henry is trapped between his deep
admiration for his brother and the truth as it slowly emerges, changing
forever his perception of what honor is, what brotherhood is and what
strength is.

Schmidt's language is amazingly clear yet
evocative.  My copy of the book looks like a hedgehog from all of the
passages I have marked.  Here is a favorite passage taken from a galley
copy:

His mother reached out to Henry and drew him to her. 
He could not remember another time when she had held him so tightly. 
Or when his father -- with eyes closed and his hands up to his face
again-- had looked so... empty-- as if the soul had left his body, and
his body understood that it would never come back.

Another
nice piece is the beginning of chapter four where Schmidt describes the
transformation of a town from a healthy industrial community to a
ghost-filled desolation where eventually the Cambodian immigrants who
understood ghosts came to live.  The first two pages of that chapter
are breathtakingly brave and beautiful.

This book is filled not
only with strong passages but with strong characters and complex
situations that slowly reveal their complexity to Henry and the
reader.  It is a joy to slowly work through the puzzle of the book,
learning as each page turns and lingering over amazing language.

Highly
recommended for readers ages 12-14.  Teens who love to read should be exposed to the delight of this writing.