Crazy

Reader: Guananí
Age: 15
Title: Crazy
Author: Han Nolan
Publisher: Hancort's Children's Books
Pub Date: Sept. 2010
Galley: No
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: Yes
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: The premise for this book, a kid who hears helpful voices in his head as he struggles to take care of his mentally ailing father, is very original and beautifully conveyed. The characters are really fleshed out and captivating, and they keep the story moving. The relationship between Jason and his dad is especially well developed and shown. I could believe that Jason had been taking care of his mentally ill parent and that he still loved him stubbornly even though he made life difficult. The personalities and balance between the voices in Jason's head were very clever, and that idea of helpful voices in someone's head got me interested in the book right away.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: Like I said, this story is mostly character-driven. Each character is compelling, from the imaginary voices narrating Jason's life for him to the adults who try and help him. And, unlike other character-driven books, this story keeps up the suspense and intrigue with really interesting plot developments as well. I was impressed and had an extremely hard time putting it down.
Cover: I picked this up because another TKB member recommended it to me. The cover is fine. The crackly font is a nice touch; it makes the 'crazy' really stand out. I wonder if the colored stripes are representing Jason's five voices? It would be cool if they were, but they add some necessary color to the black background.
Did you finish: Yes
Were you disappointed with the book at all: The only thing I didn't like about this book was that the plot lingered and fizzled out a bit at the end as the emotional story wrapped up.
Age Range: 14-18 and up
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book