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THE GREAT AMERICAN WHATEVER

Tim Federle

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Five, Six, Seven, Nate! and Better Nate Than Ever comes a laugh-out-loud sad YA debut that’s a wry and winning testament to the power of old movies and new memories—one unscripted moment at a time.
Quinn Roberts is a sixteen-year-old smart aleck and Hollywood hopeful whose only worry used to be writing convincing dialogue for the movies he made with his sister Annabeth. Of course, that was all before—before Quinn stopped going to school, before his mom started sleeping on the sofa…and before Annabeth was killed in a car accident. Enter Geoff, Quinn’s best friend who insists it’s time that Quinn came out—at least from hibernation. One haircut later, Geoff drags Quinn to his first college party, where instead of nursing his pain, he meets a guy—a hot one—and falls hard. What follows is an upside-down week in which Quinn begins imagining his future as a screenplay that might actually have a happily-ever-after ending—if, that is, he can finally step back into the starring role of his own life story. Tim Federle is the award-winning author of the autobiographical novels Better Nate Than Ever and its sequel Five, Six, Seven, Nate! (Lambda Literary Award winner), which were named best books of the year by the New York Times and the American Booksellers Association, respectively, and called “one of the best new middle grade series” by School Library Journal. The Great American Whatever was inspired by an accident near Tim’s high school in Pittsburgh that changed the community forever. It is his first novel for young adults.
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Published 2016-03-29 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Comments

Italian: Il Castoro

Recommended for mature teens who want to be inspired.

The mix of vulnerability, effervescence, and quick wit in Quinn’s narration will instantly endear him to readers.

Smart, funny, sexy and deeply affecting. I’ll read anything Tim Federle writes.

A raw nerve of a book—so perfectly tender and funny and true. My heart now belongs to The Great American Whatever. Officially. Completely.

… hauntingly authentic and consummately page-turning. A Holden Caulfield for a new generation. Read more...

The Great American Whatever knocked me out. Tim Federle writes with a rare voice — original, authentic, engaging.

… equal parts romance and friendship, humor and healing…. the entire cast is well rounded, flawed, funny, and human. Humorous, heartbreaking, and heartwarming, Federle’s (Better Nate Than Ever) YA debut takes its place in the lineage of Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and John Green’s coming-of-age tales.

Even under the weight of grief, Quinn’s conversational and charming narrative voice effervesces, mixing humor and vulnerability in typical Federle style. Federle’s YA debut about life’s unscripted moments has wide appeal and is an essential purchase for all collections. Readers will be instant fans of the funny and honest Quinn. Read more...

Federle’s first foray into YA is an accomplished effort, dramatic and distinguished by carefully developed, appealing characters... whimsical, wry, and unfailingly funny. Read more...