* 入圍青少年圖書館服務聯會（YALSA）2013年的「最佳青少年小說獎」

A teen boy, his friends, a car accident, and the aftermath all come together masterfully in James Preller’s first YA novel

The summer before his senior of high school year, Jude (yes, he’s named after the Beatles song) gets his first job, falls in love for the first time, and starts to break away from his parents. Jude’s house is kept dark, and no one talks much—it’s been that way since his little sister drowned in a swimming pool seven years ago when Jude was supposed to be watching her.

Now, Jude is finally, finally starting to live. Really live. And then, life spins out of control. Again.

Before You Go explores Jude’s very real struggles with teen romance, loss, grief, and the healing process in a thoughtful, touching and incredibly authentic way that will grip readers from the book’s dramatic first few pages to its emotional end.

 

James Preller is the author of several picture books and novels, including A Pirate’s Guide to First Grade, Six Innings, and Bystander. This is his first work for young adults. He lives in Delmar, New York. You can visit him on the Web at www.jamespreller.com

 

“…the author strikes the right tone in capturing Jude's inner struggles with grief, angst and love as he tries to come to grips with the direction his life has taken. Solid.” —Kirkus Reviews

“For an older audience than Bystander (2009), Preller’s latest takes on intense issues of love, friendship, and haunting sorrow . . . The realistic workplace scenes and the fast, wry, contemporary dialogue will hook readers, as will the moving drama of grief and guilt.” —Booklist