Like Nothing Amazing Ever Happened by Emily Blejwas
Published by Delacorte Press on April 14, 2020
ISBN: 1984848496
Pages: 224
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

Middle-schooler Justin is trying to come to grips with his father’s death — did the damaged Vietnam vet take his own life or was it just an unfortunate accident? Set during the Gulf War, this is a story about resilience, family, and the long-term impact of war. Also, the author includes a lovely description of the power of librarians “…but the librarian calls some librarian friend somewhere and gets the spelling, which makes me picture the map of the United States crisscrossed not by a bunch of highways but by a network of librarians, all calling each other on the phone during critical moments like this one.” (p. 147)

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham