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YA Review: The Sidekicks by Will Kostakis

Title: The Sidekicks
Author: Will Kostakis
Year Published: 2019


Genre: YA fiction
Pages: 302
Rating: 4 out of 5

Location (my 2019 Google Reading map)Australia

FTC Disclosure: I borrowed this book from my school library

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): Ryan, Harley and Miles are very different people--the swimmer, the rebel and the nerd. All they've ever had in common is Isaac, their shared best friend.

When Isaac dies unexpectedly, the three boys must come to terms with their grief and the impact Isaac had on each of their lives. In his absence, Ryan, Harley and Miles discover things about one another they never saw before, and realize there may be more tying them together than just Isaac. 

Review: After reading the summary I was so happy to know there is at least one book out there that deals with teenage boys and emotion. And, while getting the cover art image, I saw an article that the author was banned from speaking at a Sydney school when they learned he is gay and that there is a gay character in the novel. So, yeah, I was pumped to read this book!

Ryan, Harley, and Miles each get a third of the book. We learn about the character and his relationship to Isaac as they each cover some of the same ground (learning of Isaac's death, his funeral, and some of their interactions with one another) and moving the story forward. Each section is written in a different style as well, which helps to get a feel for each boy. I like that we hear from each of them, but feel this book doesn't have a ton of plot.

What this book does well is getting at how Isaac's friendship and death affect each of them, and those around them, differently. Isaac was a different friend to each, which is so real. Each of our family members and friends gives us something different and we need all those parts. The boys start to figure that out by the end.

Challenges for which this counts: 

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