Sway

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Description

In Kat Spears' hilarious and often poignant debut, high school senior Jesse Alderman, or "Sway," specialises in getting things people want - term papers, a date with the prom queen and fake IDs. For Jesse, life is simply a series of business transactions. But when Ken Foster, football team captain and all-around jerk, hires Jesse to help him win the heart of the angelic Bridget Smalley, Jesse finds himself falling helplessly in love. He also forms an accidental friendship with Bridget's belligerent and self-pitying younger brother who has cerebral palsy. Suddenly, Jesse is visiting old folks at a nursing home in order to run into Bridget, and offering his time to help the less fortunate, all the while developing a bond with this young man who idolises him. Could the tin man really have a heart after all

Reviews

"Sharp dialogue, edgy humor, and an unlikely hero make this page-turner a winner." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A compelling debut told with swagger and real depth." --Kirkus (starred review)

"Spears' debut novel sets an update on Cyrano de Bergerac in a contemporary high school, with noir undertones... Raw, honest...A gritty take on the male high school experience." --Booklist

"Kat Spears debut novel is, quite simply, a delight. It has all the ingredients for an engaging and witty read, laced with honesty and insight that's refreshingly real...the story is gritty and real, unafraid to cross over into the darker sides of teenage life, and unapologetic in its witty and honest portrayal. If anything, Kat Spears may just be the one with some very valuable sway; get ready to be sold." --Children's Book Review

"A page turner about high school's victims and villains -- and about layers of callousness that spring from true grief. " --Meg Medina, Pura Belpre award-winning author of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

"[The] characters are fantastic and real, but that plot The licks and riffs that led to Jesse's transformation totally blew me away, every damn page." --Gigi Amateau, author of Come August, Come Freedom: The Bellows, The Gallows, and The Black General Gabriel

Author Bio

Kat Spears has worked as a bartender, museum director, housekeeper, park ranger, business manager, and painter (not the artistic kind). She holds an MA in anthropology, which has helped to advance her bartending career. She lives in Richmond, Virginia with her three freeloading kids. Sway is her debut novel.