about the book
The small town of Forestville, Tennessee—named after Klu Klux Klan founder Nathan Bedford Forrest—looms large over three misfit teens.
Dill, a music-loving teen, escapes small-town life, family pressures, and school bullies by playing guitar and singing. His father, a famous snake-handling preacher, was jailed for possession of child pornography. His mother wants him to carry on his father’s preaching legacy and pressures him to quit high school.
Travis, a gentle giant, is physically and emotionally abused at home. Since his brother died, his father has become even more violent. He is content to work at the local lumberyard and escape his pain through Bloodfall, a fantasy fiction series.
Lydia, daughter of supportive, wealthy parents, is a successful fashion blogger and has her sights set on New York City after graduation. She is determined to fulfill her dreams and wants Travis and Dill to dream big, too.
Lydia sees graduation as the beginning of her future. Dill, who has a secret crush on Lydia, looks at graduation as the end. When a YouTube video of Dill singing garners attention, will it be the catalyst allowing him to break free of a life he seems destined for?
about the author
Singer-songwriter Jeff Zentner became inspired to write for young adults after volunteering at the Tennessee Teen Rock Camp and Southern Girls Rock Camp. “There’s a magic there. I also love the way that young adults experience art and cling to the pieces of art that they love. I wanted to create something that would (hopefully) be loved and clung to,” he says.
Jeff says he typically writes on his phone as he rides the bus to and from work. It might not be glamorous, but he says it feels most like home.
Jeff grew up in a small town in Tennessee and makes his home in Nashville. He loves singing and writing about Southern culture. He also loves cast-iron skillets, honeysuckle bushes, and baby elephants. In his spare time, you can find him kayaking and watching high-quality cable television dramas.
Source:
Author website
Author interview: BookBrowse
Author interview: The Swanky Seventeens
Author interview: Miss Print
Book trailer
Also by Jeff Zentner:
Goodbye Days. Crown Books for Young Readers. March 2017.
read more!
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner
Carver is overwhelmed with guilt after his best friends Mars, Blake, and Eli are killed in a car crash when they replied to a text he sent them. Facing both anger and understanding from the teens’ families, he beings to suffer from panic attacks. A grandmother of one of the teens suggests the families come together over a series of “Goodbye Days,” spending time doing what the teens loved to do.
Reality Boy by A.S. King
Gerald is famous for being a problem child on reality TV, but the cameras only showed one side of the story. His older sister Tasha was, and still is, the real terror of the family. Anger management and boxing have helped Gerald gain better control, but he’s still full of rage. Hannah changes things, though, so maybe he still does have options other than jail or death.
Winter Town by Stephen Emond
Friends since childhood, Lucy and Evan are split apart when Lucy’s parents’ divorce and she moves to Georgia. Returning a year later for Christmas break, Evan discovers Lucy has cut her hair, dyed it black, pierced her nose, and developed a cigarette habit. Spending time together over their two-week break, Lucy reveals struggles at home that have contributed to the negative influences in her life.