Sixteen-year-old Gray Fallon’s life is pretty good. He has an awesome basement bedroom/game room/hangout that is the envy of his friends. He’s started dating one of the prettiest, most popular girls in school (an accomplishment for a part-time stoner like himself). He’s got good friends and a pretty nice family. And then the bombshell hits: his little sister is sick. And, in Gray’s eyes, it could have been prevented.

The more Gray researches, the more he realizes that almost everything in his life is carcinogenic. Plastics, fuels, pesticides, meat. The things his family uses and eats every day might be behind his sister’s terminal cancer. So he’s determined to change his life — and his families — adopting a vegitarian diet, ridding the house of things like bleached paper and processed foods. That’s when he meets the couple running an organic farm not far away from his home. He sets up a homestead there in exchange for helping with farm chores. He becomes the poster boy for green living, with which comes media attention. Meanwhile, his mom and dad are struggling to cope with the devastation of the impending death of their daughter, and Gray’s sister just wants a few cheeseburgers and ice cream sundaes while she can still enjoy them.

Deeply moving and beautifully written, this highly literary YA novel is a must-read for fans of Deb Caletti and Matt de la Peña. POSTER BOY by Dede Crane is a fabulous read, from the small press Groundwood Books. If you can’t find it at your local bookstore or library, be sure to place a special order or request it! ( )