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Miriam B. (Lakewood Ranch, FL)

Raft of Stars is stellar!!!!
I loved Raft of Stars by Andrew J Graff and it was my book of the Fall 2020. The author made me care about the six main characters but especially the 2 boys- Fisher "Fish" Branson and Dale "Bread" Breadwin. Fish's grandfather Teddy and his mother Miranda are such strong wonderful people as is Sheriff Cal and Tiffany who is sweet on Cal. This story is such an adventure and was a real page turner.
The advice Miranda gives Fish is particularly perfect for this time of pandemic...... she says, "Just for a minute, just enjoy your pillow, just rest, let it go. Close your eyes and sail away from troubles on a raft made of stars!" Just change the word pillow to book and that is what we need now.......
The writing is beautiful and the book ends with words from Fish's grandfather, you are strong and you are good, and you are not alone." Amen.

Susan S. (Salida, CO)

Adventures like no other
If I could, I'd give Raft of Stars more than five stars! Two young boys on adventure in the woods near Claypot, Wisconsin with all the suspense of a cliff hanger. The characters reach out from the page and grab your heart – flawed and perfect, energetic and tired, ready for more and ready to quit.

Susan R. (Julian, NC)

Friendship
This is a book that I'd have never picked up -- a coming of age story about boys! Really? I won a copy from BookBrowse and knew I had to give it a chance. Wow - am I ever glad that I did. This debut novel was fantastic -- it not only featured the two young boys but also the adults in their lives. I laughed with the two boys and at times their friendship and honesty with each other made me cry. This is a book that I won't soon forget.

It's 1994 in a small town in Wisconsin. Fish has spent the summer with his grandfather ever since his father died three years ago. His best friend Bread lives with an extremely abusive father who constantly terrorizes him. The boys became best friends as soon as they met and they spend their summer in the woods, playing games and making up stories for their enjoyment. Until the summer night that Fish sees Bread's father hitting him and Fish grabs a gun and shoots him. The two boys know that they are in big trouble and head off into the woods to get as far away as possible. They make it to the river, make a raft and set out on their adventure to escape. They are being tracked by four adults who want to help them - Fish's mother Miranda, a wise woman full of fierce faith; his granddad, Teddy, who knows the woods like the back of his hand; Tiffany, a purple-haired gas station attendant and poet looking for connection; and Sheriff Cal, who's having doubts about a life in law enforcement. The time the boys spend on the river is full of perilous situations that had this reader quickly turning pages to find out the outcome.

This book is more than a simple coming of age novel. It's a story about the bonds of friendship and the lengths that people will go through to help the people that they love - whether they are family by blood or family by friendship. Thanks to BookBrowse for a copy of this book to read and review. It was fantastic!

Randi H. (Bronx, NY)

Beautifully written
I loved this emotionally powerful story of two boys and the community that forms around when they find themselves in trouble. The writing is lush with a very strong sense of place, in this case the woods of northern Wisconsin. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys character-driven novels.

Dorothy M. (Maynard, MA)

Kind of a Huck Finn for our time
Andrew Graff's debut novel is set a small town in Wisconsin where he grew up and it's a story about love and what happens to people who lose it or never had it. It begins with two friends - boys about 10 or 11. Fish lost a much-loved father to the war, and Bread lost his mother and lives with his father who is an abusive alcoholic. When Bread's father attacks Bread one too many times, Fish picks up the father's gun and shoots him. Terrified at what they have done the boys flee into the forest around them, sure that they can take care of themselves. Fish has been staying with his Grandfather for the summer. When the Sheriff calls him looking for the boys the grandfather convinces the sheriff to join in a chase on horseback into the woods to try and find them. This is a coming of age book about friendship, a story of people so unsure of themselves that they don't realize what is possible if they would only ask and it's a great page turner of an adventure story. You won't be able to put it down once the boys take to the river.

Arden A. (Longboat Key, FL)

Finn or Fish?
I can't find very much information about this author, but it appears that this is his first book, and it's a good one. I think young people would enjoy reading about the two young boys and their adventures when they run away after seemingly having killed the abusive father of one of the boys. The search party ensues with each of the characters dealing with their individual life problems. There are many adventures surrounding the rafting experience of the escape, and it does bring to mind another similar story, a classic, but I digress. The adults in this story offer some very interesting characters, with soul-searching and feel-good outcomes all around. I was never bored; the story flowed. I hope to see more by this author.

...10 more reader reviews