The Swift Boys & Me

About this book

The lyrical and moving middle-grade debut from YA author Kody Keplinger!

Twelve-year-old Nola Sutton has been best friends and neighbors with the Swift boys for practically her whole life. There's the youngest, Kevin, who never stops talking; the oldest, Brian, who's always kind and calm; and then there's Canaan, the ringleader and Nola's best-best friend. Together, they have a summer of fun adventures planned.

But then everything changes overnight.

When the Swifts' daddy leaves without even saying good-bye, it completely destroys the boys, and all Nola can do is watch. Kevin stops talking and Brian is never around. Even Canaan is drifting away from Nola - hanging out with the neighborhood bullies instead of her. Nola just wants things to go back to the way they were -- the way they've always been.

Can Nola and the Swift boys survive this summer with their friendships intact, or has everything fallen apart for good?

Reviews

Praise for The Swift Boys and Me:

"This is the sort of solid, amiable preteen summer story there used to be a lot of; let's hope this heralds a revival." —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Keplinger takes a stab at middle grade and completely nails it! The characters' voices are strong and this awesome tale of strength, struggle, and friendship needs to be heard, by tweens as well as adults. Nola and the Swift boys could be any one's next door neighbors, but luckily they're ours to embrace." —RT Book Reviews

"The small-town Kentucky setting, unfolding events, and emotional interactions between characters young and old all play their parts in establishing the story's solid sense of realism." —Publishers Weekly

"Realistically, there's no easy solution; the conclusion doesn't sugarcoat the pangs of growing up…A fine, honest and heartfelt coming-of-age tale." —Kirkus