And Then, Boom!

A gripping novel in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish, featuring a boy who bravely rides out all the storms life blows his way

Joe is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can’t be depended on as she never stays around long once she gets “the itch,” and now he and his grandmother can no longer afford their home. He finds some consolation in the lessons of his beloved comic books, because superheroes have a lot of “and then, boom” moments, where everything threatens to go bust but somehow, they land on their feet. That seems to happen a lot to Joe too, and fortunately his latest crisis is solved when a friend helps them find a home in a trailer park. But things unravel again when Joe’s grandmother falls ill and he is suddenly left to fend for himself. He doesn’t tell anyone he’s on his own, as he fears foster care and hopes his mom will come back. But time is running out—bills are piling up, the electricity’s been shut off, and the school year’s about to end, meaning no more free meals. The struggle to feed himself gets all too real when Joe finds himself having to dumpster dive for food. He’s never felt so alone, until boom!—an abandoned dog and her two tiny pups cross his path. They need Joe, but how will they all survive? Before Joe can figure it all out, he’s struck by the wildest hook yet, when an actual tornado sends him flying—and just when it seems all is lost, he gets his superhero moment and his life turns in a direction that he never could have predicted.