Catch & Release
I should have died quick. But I didn’t. I’m a miracle of modern medicine, only the medicine doesn’t get much credit, I notice. People say I’m lucky, or I’m blessed, and then they turn away.
I’m not the only miracle. There’s Odd too.
Polly Furnas had The Plan for the future. Get married to Bridger Morgan, for one. College, career, babies. Etc. All the important choices were made.
It was all happily-ever-after as a diamond-ring commercial.
But The Plan did not include a lethal drug-resistant infection. It did not include “some more reconstruction and scar revision in the future." And it certainly did not include Odd Estes, a trip to Portland in an ancient Cadillac to “tear Bridger a new one,” fly fishing, marshmallows, Crisco, or a loaded gun.
But plans change. Stories get revised and new choices must be made.
Polly and Odd have choices. Surviving or not. Catch or release.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
|---|---|---|
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978-1-4677-6799-6
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$23.99 |
Author: Blythe Woolston
Blythe Woolston is a reader. Right now, she makes her living indexing scholarly books. She has also worked as a writing teacher, library clerk, and production coordinator for a computer book publisher. Writing books is a new way for her to love reading.
Awards
- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults
- Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year
Reviews
The Horn Book Guide
“Polly, a self-described ‘monster,’ is disfigured following a staph infection that killed several others in her town. She and Odd, another teen who survived the infection, embark on a road trip that takes them through the Pacific Northwest—and into honest discussions about the nature of disability and the drive to survive. Woolston offers an unusual perspective on healing in this nuanced story.”
The ALAN Review
“A compelling and beautiful tale of trials and triumph.” —The ALAN Review
Library Media Connection
“This is a powerful, can’t-stop-reading tale of when the life you intended is not the one you have, and that is especially wrenching when you are 17.” —Library Media Connection
School Library Journal
“This is a novel about acceptance and moving on when life throws a curveball.” —School Library Journal
Booklist
“Woolston’s novel offers intriguing characters, contemporary ethical questions, and a story that will have appeal to a wide range of readers.” —Booklist
Publishers Weekly
“Morris Award–winner Woolston (The Freak Observer) forces readers to re-evaluate life’s random cruelties and the idea of ‘survival,’ as she brings her characters to the brink of death, then tosses them back in the water.” —Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
“This is not a romance, but a tale of two people thrown together after their world has been turned upside down. Each is unique, vividly complicated and true. Engaging writing and characters lift this above the typical clichéd story of disabled teens. Heartbreakingly honest.” —Kirkus Reviews