It all started with a fever. No, a cherry cola and a water tower. No, maybe it started before that with a freak disease, Star Wars, and an absent dad; but it leads to the his dad walking to New York, the 6:00 news, making out with a girl, and losing his best friend. 15 year old Nick Gardner isn’t ready for all of the changes that are about to happen to his life. But in the midst of all this upheaval and seemingly out of nowhere, quirky, smart and beautiful Jaycee Amato comes into Nick’s life. Jaycee propels Nick to accept his best friend, the Scoot’s, dying wish: to find the Scoot’s father and give him a letter and an autographed first-edition of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Without the quest, and Jaycee at his side, Nick wouldn’t be able to deal with his own dad’s leaving and the Scoot’s death, but together these two new friends embark on a journey, following Master Yoda’s teachings, Steinbeck’s life lessons, and the vaguest of plans.
At times, Gae H. Polisner’s The Pull of Gravity reminded me of the hilarious 2008 film Fanboys, where some long time friends and Star Wars fans come together on an outrageous adventure to break into Skywalker Ranch to see the as yet unreleased Star Wars: Episode 1 as a way of saying good-bye to both their childhoods but also to their terminally ill friend. Certainly adventures inspired by the dying wish and resplendent with the wise advice of Yoda capture the teen imagination, and Polisner’s work definitely earns its place here. Nick, Jaycee and the Scoot are well-rounded, funny, realistic teens whose quirks, fears, bravado, and huge hearts veritably leap off the page and hit you right in the face. I was cheering for them, crying with them, and hopeful about the future they’ll face together.
- Posted by Cori