100 Sideways Miles
*Starred Review* Finn Easton lives on the edge of disaster. A dead horse falling from a bridge injured him as a child at the same time that it killed his mother. Also, his writer dad featured not only Finn’s name but also his epilepsy in a novel that became a sci-fi cult classic, bringing his son unwanted notoriety. Also, Finn’s dog likes to rub up against dead things. Also, lastly, he lives in a California canyon that was the site of dam-break disaster, and during seizures, he sees the ghosts of two girls who died in the flood. Given all this, forging a positive identity seems almost impossible for Finn, especially when he is overshadowed by his best friend Cade, a charismatic jokester. Then Finn meets Julia, a new student from Chicago, and he finds that his oddball idiosyncrasies can be charming. When Julia returns to the Midwest, all seems lost, but a road trip with Cade, a heroic rescue during a flash flood, mistaken identities, and a long detour offer Finn chances to remake himself. Leavened with humor and high-school high jinks, this unpredictable story of love and friendship is close to perfect. This falls on the Winger (2013) side of Smith’s oeuvre rather than The Marbury Lens (2010) side, and its offbeat tone will endear it to fans of writers like Libba Bray.      HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Smith is a slow-but-sure publishing success story, with the recent Winger and Grasshopper Jungle bringing him overdue acclaim. Demand, too, is on the rise. Grades 9-12. --Karen Cruze