Nothing

Written by Robin Friedman

Narrated by Trevor Goble and Casey Holloway

"Sometimes trees can look healthy on the outside, but actually be dying inside. These trees fall unexpectedly during a storm."

For high school senior Parker Rabinowitz, anything less than success is a failure. A dropped extracurricular, a C on a calc quiz, a non-Jewish shiksa girlfriend―one misstep, and his meticulously constructed life splinters and collapses. The countdown to HYP (Harvard, Yale, Princeton) has begun, and he will stay focused.

That's why he has to keep it a secret. The pocketful of breath mints. The weird smell in the bathroom.

He can't tell his achievement-obsessed father. He can't tell his hired college consultant. And he certainly can't tell Julianne, the "vision of hotness" he so desperately wants to love.

Only Parker's little sister Danielle seems to notice that he's withering away. But the thunder of praise surrounding Parker and his accomplishments reduces her voice to broken poetry:

I can't breathe
when my brother's around
because I feel smothered,
blank and faded

• Language: English
• Publisher: Everand Productions
• Release date: Sep 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781094429533

Robin Friedman

Robin Friedman is an advertising copywriter and freelance writer for several newspapers and magazines in New Jersey. The Silent Witness is her first children’s book with Houghton Mifflin.

Reviews for Nothing

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story is a gripping portrayal of a life spiraling out of control. Parker's frank tone is coupled with free-verse poems from Danielle's point of view, giving us a complete picture of a family falling apart. Parker doesn't know how to ask for help and Danielle, who would help him, has no idea what's going on. Mom and Dad are clueless, especially when Mr. Rabinowitz becomes ill.A Looking-for-Alaska-esque countdown starts on the first page with "88 days before" and helps move the action forward. As the countdown crept down to zero, I found myself racing through the pages to find out what was going to happen. Robin Friedman has created characters that I really cared about and I liked that we get two different perspectives. Parker's voice is urgent and raw while Danielle watches from the sidelines, resenting her brother at times, though she doesn't know what he's hiding.

[Sherie Hollins Hayes · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Yet another incomplete book. Very disappointing. Seriously! What is happening?