From the author of Words in the Dust and Divided We Fall: A heartwarming book about a son reconnecting with the father he lost in Afghanistan.
Mike was seven when his father was killed in mysterious circumstances in Afghanistan. Eight years later, the family still hasn't recovered: Mike's mom is overworked and overprotective; his younger sister Mary feels no connection to the father she barely remembers; and in his quest to be "the man of the family," Mike knows he's missing out on everyday high school life. Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father -- the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son on the eve of Mike's 16th birthday. As the letters come in, Mike revels in spending time with his dad again, and takes his encouragement to try new things -- to go out for the football team, and ask out the beautiful Isma. But who's been keeping the letters all these years? And how did Dad actually die? As the answers to these mysteries are revealed, Mike and his family find a way to heal and move forward at last. Praise for If You're Reading This:* "Powerful and emotionally raw, with sympathetic characters and a thought-provoking premise, this tale reflects Reedy's strengths: evoking the small-town American spirit, capturing the feel of the military, and getting into the heart of his teenage protagonist." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"A moving study of war's long-reaching effects on families." -- Kirkus Reviews Trent Reedy is the author of Divided We Fall, Burning Nation, and The Last Full Measure, a trilogy about the second American Civil War; If You're Reading This; Stealing Air; and Words in the Dust, which was the winner of the Christopher Medal and an Al Roker's Book Club pick on the Today show. Trent and his family live near Spokane, Washington. Please visit his website at www.trentreedy.com. I intend to write you a couple of letters to make sure you have some help from your old man. My plan is for you to be given my letters in order, one at a time, early in your sophomore year of high school, so that you'll have read them all by your sixteenth birthday.I wanted to be there for you. I tried. I swear to God nothing is was more important to me than getting back home to you and your mom and sister. I know you'll be good to them, help take care of them. I'll never get to know the man you're becoming, but I hope you'll take your time with my letters to get to know me. They're calling me to formation. I have to stop for now. I miss you, buddy.Love,Dad Praise for If You're Reading This:* "Powerful and emotionally raw, with sympathetic characters and a thought-provoking premise, this tale reflects Reedy's strengths: evoking the small-town American spirit, capturing the feel of the military, and getting into the heart of his teenage protagonist." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review"A moving study of war's long-reaching effects on families." -- Kirkus Reviews
