The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY by Amor Towles (A Gentleman in Moscow) is a beautifully written coming of age story set on the road in America during the 1950s. Emmett is a sincere, well-meaning 18-year-old who has just returned from a work farm where he was incarcerated due to the accidental death of a local bully. Released early due to his own father’s death, Emmett plans to take his prized Studebaker, the little money he has, and his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to Texas. But once again, circumstances intervene: Billy wants to head to California to find their mother who left years ago and before they can begin, two young escapees, Duchess and Woolly, steal Emmett’s car and his money. The adventures begin as Emmett and Billy ride the rails in pursuit. THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY received starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus (“exhilarating ride through Americana”), and Publishers Weekly and was a LibraryReads selection for October. A bit slow to begin and rather long (almost 600 pages) for the average teen; however, as Booklist says, “Teen readers of classics and literary historical fiction will find ambitious, determined Emmett appealing.”

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP by Fannie Flagg is a LibraryReads choice for October.  If you love Flagg’s homespun writing, especially Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, pick up this new equally folksy novel. It charmingly reprises many of the characters and events from that 1987 classic while offering comfort in these uncertain times. For example, title character Bud Threadgoode (now retired and looking to visit his Alabama hometown) observes, “Life can be hard sometimes. And I sort of think animals are little gifts the good Lord sends to help us get through it.” Or when Flagg writes, “that’s what you get when you love something that much. Joy and heartbreak.” My difficulty with this novel was the way it jumped around in time over several decades and across state lines, often making reference or assuming some knowledge the reader did not necessarily have. My advice is to treat yourself: (re)read Fried Green Tomatoes first and then settle in to enjoy more feel good wisdom in THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP.