The Things a Brother Knows

Gr 7 Up—Dana Reinhart's emotional journey (Random/Wendy Lamb Books. 2010) about a soldier's homecoming and the guilt and trauma that accompanies him is told from his brother Levi's point of view. Levi knows that his older brother Boaz joined the military a man and has come back a ghost. Boaz was a star high school student and gave up everything to fight in "some desert country half a world away." Levi just wants life to return to the way it was prior to the war. Levi searches to discover why his brother has changed. When Boaz announces that he is leaving to hike the Appalachian Trail, Levi sets out to follow him to discover what he's been through and bring him home again. Narrator Joshua Swanson brings many strong characters to life with perfect intonations and accents, from Levi and Boaz to Abba, their father who grew up speaking Hebrew, to their grandfather, Dove, who grew up in Israel and joined the army at 18. Levi's best friends Pearl, who is a giddy flirt, and Zim, a slacker, add a bit of levity. Readers will be left with memorable characters engrained in their minds long after they're through listening and will gain insight into the psychological consequences of war.—Janet Weber, Tigard Public Library, OR