Some Kind of Normal

Gr 9 Up—Seventeen-year-old Everly Jenkins knows her father's vitality hinges on the image of a perfect family, but secrets hidden from the public threaten to tear apart her family and destroy their livelihood. For the past year, Everly has donned a fake smile and done what everyone expects of the pastor's dutiful daughter. In the days following graduation, Everly accepts a summer job tutoring classmate Trevor Lewis, who missed his senior year following a tragic drunk driving accident. After a months-long coma and intensive rehabilitation, Trevor still struggles with the headaches, memory loss, mood swings, and seizures resulting from this traumatic brain injury. Determined to make it as a musician, Trevor knows he needs to stay focused so he can finally graduate, even if that means dealing with his beautiful but snobbish tutor Everly Jenkins. Told in alternating perspectives, Some Kind of Normal features believable, sympathetic characters dealing with serious family and personal issues. There are no quick fixes for Trevor's brain injuries or Everly's family problems. Trevor's determination to be "normal" again battles against his fear that he may never fully recover. Though both characters' emotional reactions to traumatic events mostly ring true, one might wonder why no one seems to hold Trevor's best friend Nate—the drunk driver that fateful night—responsible for anything. Still, the sweet romance, likable characters, and complex family dynamics carry the story.