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DODGER BOY

Sarah Ellis

In 1970 Vancouver, thirteen-year-old Charlotte and her best friend, Dawn, are keen to avoid the pitfalls of adolescence. They'd rather skip right past their teenaged years, along with all of the annoying things that teens do - obsessing about boys and marriage and their perfect futures.

But life becomes more complicated when the girls meet a Texan draft dodger who comes to live with Charlotte's Quaker family. Tom Ed expands Charlotte's horizons as they discuss everything from war to civil disobedience to women's liberation. Grappling with exhilarating and disturbing new ideas, faced with a censorship challenge to her beloved English teacher and trying to decode the charismatic draft dodger himself, Charlotte finds it harder and harder to stick to her "anti-teen" philosophy, and to see eye to eye with Dawn.
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Published 2018-09-01 by Groundwood Books

Comments

As Charlotte navigates a fluctuant world full of obstacles... she proves to be a deeply introspective and likable protagonist, offering up insights that cut right to the heart of the coming-of-age experience. Charlotte's deteriorating relationship with Dawn is a realistic depiction of a struggling friendship. [...] Verdict: a unique piece of historical fiction that packs a punch. - School Library Journal

• USBBY Outstanding International Children's Books, 2019

Crisp, funny, smart and wonderfully well put together - an example of all that writing for the young can be. [...] Every detail and character of Ellis's story is rich, resonant and relevant, evoking not just the culture of the '70's, but also the challenging, exhilarating time between childhood and adulthood. Highly recommended. - Toronto Star

Scintillating prose, rich dialogue, and charming characterizations mark a novel that straddles the boundary between middle-grade and YA. [...] A whip-smart historical that highlights that transitionary period to which few would ever desire to return. - Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW