Never Eighteen

Book excerpt: A teenage boy takes a journey to bring truth, beauty, and meaning to his life. “There won’t be many dry eyes at the end of this extremely affecting story.”—Kirkus Reviews Austin Parker is never going to see his eighteenth birthday. At the rate he’s going, he probably won’t even see the end of the year. The doctors say his chances of surviving are slim to none even with treatment, so he’s decided it’s time to let go. But before he goes, Austin wants to mend the broken fences in his life. So with the help of his best friend, Kaylee, Austin visits every person in his life who touched him in a special way. He journeys to places he’s loved and those he’s never seen. And what starts as a way to say goodbye turns into a personal journey that brings love, acceptance, and meaning to Austin’s life. “It is easy to connect with Austin because his journey is honorable . . . Bostic’s narrative is concise, chapters are short, and the story never lags. Her story is sad, but it is real and pulls no punches.”—VOYA “Bostic writes this graceful, affecting tale without pretension . . . Perhaps it’s because of that simplicity that the story concludes with such a powerful emotional punch.”—Kirkus Reviews “It had the vibe and similarities from two of my favorite books and maybe even a third that are all pretty popular: If I Stay, Thirteen Reasons Why, and The Fault in Our Stars.”—Mission Viejo Library Teen Voice