Structured as a conversation between Jason and his outspoken internal chorus (which includes sympathetic Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show, the antagonistic Crazy Glue, and even a laugh track), the novel draws readers inside the psyche of a troubled teenager to experience the chaos, panic, and isolation he feels each day. But imagined friends can't help Jason with the problem he inherited after his mother's death: taking care of a mentally ill father, whose condition is worsening. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse AndrewsĪnother Jekyll, Another Hyde by Daniel and Dina Na.'Ever since the fifth grade, I've had this imaginary audience in my head who follow me around and watch me like I'm the star in a movie,' explains 15-year-old Jason, who narrates this intense novel from National Book Award Medalist Nolan (Dancing on the Edge). Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge This is cross posted at my blog (Library Lass) Adventures in Reading. Crazy is also one of the nominees for the 2013 Young Readers Choice Awards, so if you live in the Pacific Northwest and your school or public library participates in the YRCA program, consider checking this book out. Nolan's prose is very easy to get into, and I really liked Jason's voice and the descriptions of his father's mental illness were interesting (the path his delusions followed), so while this sort of novel isn't really my cup of tea, I would definitely recommend her books to the kids at my library who like Ellen Hopkins-esque stories (although this book isn't nearly as gritty as a Hopkins book). Looking through the descriptions of her other books, it seems like they follow a similar pattern.

She pulls just enough punches so the readers get a good, emotional ride through the story but aren't left completely wrecked by the end. They tend to be preachy or cheesy like a Lifetime movie or overly gritty and shocking, but Nolan strikes a good balance in this story. Typically, I don't enjoy these types of books. Crazy is a fairly typical problem novel, but that's okay. The story follows a pretty predictable arc from here (Jason learns to trust his friends, social services gets involved, etc). Jason watches his life like a movie, and his inner monologue is the studio audience watching along with him.īut his coping mechanisms aren't working as his father's condition deteriorates, and Jason is assigned to a support group that meets with the school counselor and three other students. One of his coping mechanisms is his audience of imaginary friends. His mother died after a suffering from a stroke and his father, who has had delusional episodes his entire adult life, is now off his meds and Jason is trying to keep it together, keep his dad fed and get him back on his meds while coping with general high school issues, and he's not handling things particularly well.

Jason's mother is dead and his father is crazy.

Crazy by han nolan