Publishers Weekly
10/08/2018
The people of Guthrie, Ill., blame high school senior Moses for burning down the local bowling alley, an event that ended with his cousin—his best friend—getting shot by the police. But is Moses really to blame? If so, will he find forgiveness? In this highly introspective debut novel set during the aftermath of a prank gone terribly wrong, Smith persuasively and empathically portrays Moses’s conflicting emotions as he comes to terms with a traumatic event. Instead of going to jail, Moses is sentenced to a one-week camp where he is to be a “buddy” to a group of eight- to 11-year-olds. In a place where no one except the camp director knows about his past, Moses begins to feel like his old self, making friends with the other buddies and mentoring Lump, a bullied girl. But when Moses plays hooky and a child goes missing, his feelings of guilt and shame rise to the surface. Rather than casting judgment, Smith leaves readers to decide the degree of Moses’s culpability. This thought-provoking, gut-wrenching novel presents human nature as it is instead of as it should be. Ages 12–18. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, The Bent Agency. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
New York Times New and Noteworthy Book
“A deftly crafted and inherently riveting read from first page to last, Unstoppable Moses by Tyler James Smith is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to school and community libraries.” —Midwest Book Review
“Unstoppable Moses is radiant; one of those rare debut novels that shines with humor, love, compassion, and hope, with a cast of unforgettable characters that jump off the pages and into your heart.” —Andrew Smith, author of Grasshopper Jungle
“When people say reading makes us more empathetic, they are talking about books like Unstoppable Moses. A lyrical, hilarious, so-real-it-hurts debut that reminds us all just how much we have to lose, and why it’s important to never give up. I’m so happy this book is in the world.” —Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock, author of The Smell of Other People’s Houses
“In this highly introspective debut novel set during the aftermath of a prank gone terribly wrong, Smith persuasively and empathically portrays Moses’s conflicting emotions as he comes to terms with a traumatic event. This thought-provoking, gut-wrenching novel presents human nature as it is instead of as it should be.” —Publishers Weekly
“Perfect for high school students who love John Green and Jesse Andrews.” —School Library Journal
“Smith’s style is reminiscent of John Green’s oeuvre. Balances the characters’ tragic stories with offbeat humor and deftly timed pop culture references...an enjoyable read for any fan of contemporary YA fiction.” —ALA Booklist
“A Midwestern teen struggles with loss, guilt, and finding his place in the world without his best friend in this character-driven novel...Smith weaves between past and present, exploring growth and personal relationships in this emotional debut.” —Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal
07/01/2018
Gr 10 Up—Seventeen-year-old Moses Hill is on his way to a court-ordered wilderness camp as a "Buddy" in charge of elementary school kids. Attempting to put his arson-tinged delinquency behind him, he is determined not to dwell on the circumstances that have also left his cousin and best friend shot by a hair-trigger police officer. Despite some truly horrific experiences, Moses is open to making friends and trying responsibility on for size—at least, enough to get his criminal record expunged. However, as a particularly tortured teen, Moses takes some very convoluted detours on his way toward forgiveness. It is clear that Smith has worked very hard to eschew the tropes of typical YA novels, but Moses's journey is a little too self-aware to be believable—albeit entertaining with the snarky footnotes and internal monologues that accompany readers from page one. Still, the author has created characters devoid of the saccharine happily ever after and they feel real, even if the plot gets a little confused about which story it's supposed to be telling. VERDICT Perfect for mature high school students who love John Green and Jesse Andrews.—Michael Marie Jacobs, Darlington School, GA
JANUARY 2019 - AudioFile
Seventeen-year-old Moses gets caught up in a simple prank that quickly turns into arson with his mischievous cousin. The criminal justice systems assigns him community service: working as a camp counselor for children. Narrator Graham Halstead creates an authentic voice that reflects the raw pain that Moses feels because of his involvement in the crime and the traumatic experience of his cousin being shot by a police officer during their arrest. He struggles to find a way back to normalcy through his camp experience. Listeners will closely follow Moses through his tumultuous journey to redemption as he tries to overcome past mistakes that continue to haunt him. M.D. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-07-17
Two boys' prank goes badly wrong, with life-changing consequences. At 8 years old, Moses was shot by his cousin and best friend, Charlie, and died for three minutes. Since that day he has been considered a miracle boy by his family and has had an almost reckless sense of indestructibility. Now high school juniors, Moses and Charlie "were trying to be funny, and maybe even do something good. Stupidly." But when their prank—which involves destruction of models representing major world religions—goes off the rails, they are labeled arsonists and criminals. The townspeople insist that what they did was a hate crime. Charlie is shot by the police, but since Moses is a minor and the judge determines he isn't dangerous, he is given a chance to redeem himself and is ordered to serve as a camp counselor for a week, working with elementary school-aged kids. Can Moses, who has high aspirations for college and his future, find his way through the darkness and tragedy? A Midwestern teen struggles with loss, guilt, and finding his place in the world without his best friend in this character-driven novel that at times veers into the excessively wordy. Major characters are assumed white.Smith weaves between past and present, exploring growth and personal relationships in this emotional debut novel. (Fiction. 12-18)
