All That I Can Fix

(Paperback, Reprint)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

A superbly entertaining read. Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Will win over teens. School Library Journal (starred review)

A teen boys world gets turned upside-down when a zoo of exotic animals takes over his small town in this wickedly funny, heartbreakingly honest novel thats perfect for fans of David Arnold.

In Makersville, Indiana, people know all about Ronneyhes from that mixed-race family with the dad who tried to kill himself, the pill-popping mom, and the genius kid sister. If having a family like that wasnt bad enough, the local eccentric at the edge of town decided one night to open up all the cages of his exotic zoolions, cheetahs, tigersand then shoot himself dead. Go figure. Even more proof that you cant trust adults to do the right thing.

Overnight, news crews, gun control supporters, and gun rights advocates descend on Makersville, bringing around-the-clock news coverage, rallies, and anti-rallies with them. With his parents checked out, Ronney is left tending to his sisters mounting fears of roaming lions, stopping his best friend from going on a suburban safari, and shaking loose a lonely boy who follows Ronney wherever he goes. Can Ronney figure out a way to hold it together as all his worlds fall apart

From acclaimed author Crystal Chan comes an incisive tale of love, loyalty, and the great leaps we take to protect the people and places we love most.

Reviews

A superbly entertaining read that weaves issues of mental health and gun control with adolescent angst. Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Will win over teens. School Library Journal, starred review

Despite Ronneys ire, hes a storyteller possessed with a wicked and honest sense of humor about reality and relationships. Chan takes a measured approach to controversial topics like suicide and addiction, the news media, gun control and rights, and animal activism, most of which are relevant to todays teens. At a time when high-school students are campaigning for change, this book is sure to be in demand. Booklist

Author Bio

Crystal Chan watched with amazement at the exotic zoo outbreak in Zanesville, Ohio in 2011, where scores of animalshungry lions, panthers, and tigersran loose around the county. That incident helped inspire her most recent novel,All That I Can Fix. When Crystal isnt writing, her passion is giving diversity talks to adults and kids alike, telling stories on Wisconsin Public Radio, and hosting conversations on social media. Her debut novel,Bird, was published in nine countries and is available on audiobook in the US. She isthe parent of a teenage turtle (not a ninja).