Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

Meet Me Here

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: do what everyone has always expected of him, or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss's absorbing examination of one boy struggling with expectations and realities will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher.

Thomas is supposed to leave for the Army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas's certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He'll also face the truth of his brother's post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss's deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, to find each other, to find a path, and to know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Kirkus

      March 1, 2016
      On graduation night, the road less traveled leads to a new understanding between friends and family. Thomas' life is pretty well mapped out for him. It's graduation night, and he's expected to report to the recruitment officer the next morning to follow his father's and brother's footsteps into the Army. But Thomas has other plans. He's seen what being a soldier did to his brother, Jake, who can't function even as the town greets him as a hero. Thomas doesn't want to end up that way. He's willing to run away from everything familiar to avoid the same fate. But then his old friend Mallory needs his help figuring out how she really feels about her boyfriend, and graduation night takes on a whole new meaning as Thomas and Mallory reconnect, remember, reveal, and discover that the paths they'd chosen might not be the right ones after all. Bliss offers a well-crafted story about the people who come home from war damaged and the family members this affects. Slipping deftly between past and present time frames, Bliss creates a three-dimensional landscape of broken characters without losing a presiding sense of hope, grounding his story in a rural, white North Carolina community where trucks are king. A love story between brothers, the novel provides a touching glimpse of a different kind of courage. (Fiction. 14-18)

      COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • School Library Journal

      April 1, 2016

      Gr 9 Up-Thomas is set to leave for the Army from his hometown of Hickory, NC, the day after his high school graduation, as his family expects. His father was in Desert Storm, and his brother Jake recently returned from overseas, injured and a hero after saving two other soldiers. When his seven-years estranged friend Mallory punches her boyfriend at a post-graduation party and asks Thomas for a ride home, they visit an old hotel and attend a party, among other adventures. All the while, they must keep track of wandering Jake and avoid Mallory's boyfriend. Throughout the novel, Thomas thinks about how he is tired of telling people he is excited about the Army, and worries that he will end up like his veteran brother, who always carries a mysterious backpack and appears aimless. Mallory is supposed to marry her boyfriend the day after graduation but has reservations. Bliss's novel addresses the push teens may feel after high school to do what is expected of them and not what they want, as well as stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, and the stigma surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Teens may find the small-town setting or the feeling of expectation familiar. With a 24-hour intense time frame and thoughtful discussion of PTSD, this title has elements of Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon and Trish Doller's Something Like Normal. VERDICT With its positive depictions of mental health and message of following your passion, this work is a general purchase for teen collections.-Liz Anderson, DC Public Library

      Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      Starred review from April 1, 2016
      Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* It's the night of Thomas' high-school graduation, and he is agonizing over what's happening the next day. He has enlisted in the army, just like his dad and brother, and he is set to go to training first thing in the morning. But his brother, Jake, came back from the war deeply broken, and Thomas is afraid of ending up like hima man fading away to almost nothing. Over the course of the night, he reunites with his childhood friend Mallory, who is also afraid of the future she is facing; wanders from adventure to adventure; tries to save his brother from self-destructive choices; and finds himself questioning his plan to skip showing up at the recruitment center and run away. Though one peripatetic night might not sound like a compelling plot, Bliss keeps the pages turning with vivid, rich characters and weighty moments of self-discovery. With compassionate grace, Bliss plumbs the depths not only of Thomas' heavy choices but also the impact of war on a personal level and the singular sense of community that comes from living in a small blue-collar town. Though the relationship between Mallory and Thomas might perhaps be the most alluring at the outset, it's the connection between Thomas and his brother that is ultimately the most satisfying and meaningful. Thoughtful, empathetic, and deeply stirring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2016
      Thomas should be shipping off to boot camp in the morning, but after his older brother returned from war a "blank wall," Thomas wants to run away. While Thomas ruminates, he and friend Mallory pull an all-nighter revisiting childhood landmarks. Their nostalgia for their shared childhood becomes a tender counterpoint to their anxieties about growing up. A thoughtful, penetrating family drama.

      (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • The Horn Book

      May 1, 2016
      In his second novel, Bliss (No Parking at the End Times, rev. 1/15) presents another thoughtful and penetrating family drama. On the night of his high school graduation, Thomas watches his rural North Carolina classmates celebrate while he faces a major decision. He should be shipping off to boot camp in the morning, but after witnessing his formerly indomitable older brother Jake return from war a "blank wall," Thomas wants to run away -- "no answers, no hesitation -- just gone." Then Thomas crosses paths with Mallory, an estranged childhood friend, and a ride home spirals into an all-nighter. While Thomas ruminates perceptively over his troubled family dynamic and the consequences of betraying his father's military legacy, he and Mallory dip into small-town dramas and revisit childhood landmarks; their nostalgia for their shared childhood becomes a tender counterpoint to their underlying anxieties about growing up. Opening up to Mallory helps Thomas sort out his feelings -- their friendship rekindles naturally and platonically as the night progresses -- but ultimately, Thomas must face up to Jake. Thomas's future remains uncertain as morning breaks, but through meaningful encounters with friends and family, Thomas gains a deeper understanding of sacrifice, the power of brotherhood and community, and just how fine the line between courage and fear can be. jessica tackett macdonald

      (Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading