My name is Calvin Sinclair, I'm eleven years old and I have a confession... I killed my brother.
It's the summer before grade six and Calvin Sinclair is bored to tears. He's recently moved from a big city to a small town and there's nothing to do. It's hot, he has no friends and the only kid around is his six-year-old brother, Sammy, who can barely throw a basketball as high as the hoop.
Cal occupies his time by getting his brother to do almost anything: from collecting ants to doing Calvin's chores. And Sammy is all too eager - as long as it means getting a "Level" and moving one step closer to his brother's Eagle status.
When Calvin meets Aleta Alvarado, a new girl who shares his love for
Goosebumps books and adventure, Sammy is pushed aside. Cal feels guilty but not enough to change. At least not until a diagnosis makes things at home start spinning out of control and he's left wondering whether Sammy will ever complete his own journey...
"Tender, direct, and honest."--
Kirkus Reviews "An honest portrayal of love, loss, and friendship." --
School Library Journal "A moving and ultimately hopeful book."--
Booklist "This book is heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, and awe-inspiring.... highly recommend this book to fans of the book Wonder by R. J. Palacio, but i think that any reader will enjoy this excellent debut novel from Alex Lyttle." --
JacobtheBookworm, Goodreads "This is touching, moving, beautiful story and I can't recommend it enough. Even though its target audience is upper middle grade, everyone should read this. Did you watch that television show Red Band Society? My teenager daughter and I loved that show and this book had that seem feel but from the perspective of the non-ill sibling. Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything was released in September of 2015 and the hype that followed was out of control. The hype for this book needs to surpass that." --
Candace, Goodreads Check out Alex Lyttle's other book:
The Rise of Winter The Critics Agree: From
Ant to Eagle, like
The Bridge to Terabithia and
Out of My Mind, shouldn't be missed. Read this award-winning book today!
Winner, Red Cedar Award 2019
Winner, Silver Birch Fiction Award 2018
Winner, Rocky Mountain Book Award 2019
Finalist, Alberta Writers Guild 2019
Finalist, Foreword Indies Book of the Year 2017
Alex Lyttle is a pediatrician living in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his wife and four children. He was raised in London, Ontario - the setting of his first novel, From Ant to Eagle, a multi-award winning story which he wrote based on his experiences working in the Pediatric Oncology unit. Readers have described it as "relatable, pragmatic, touching, moving," and perhaps most importantly, "a reminder that adults are not always the wisest people in the room." Many readers point to one quote that lingers in their hearts in particular: "The only thing worse than dying is living without hope."
The Rise of Winter, Alex's second novel, steps away from the medical world and enters that of fantasy - a world created during bedtime stories for his eldest daughter that readers compared to
Red Queen, The Dark Crowns, and
Cinder. Fans call Alex's writing "entertaining", "moving" and "dynamic". When he is not working, writing or playing basketball, he enjoys learning new magic tricks to perform for his young patients. Watch for Alex's newest novel
The Pain Book, set to launch in the Spring of 2022.
You can follow Alex at his website: alexlyttle.com or in social media: on Twitter: @alex_lyttle or on facebook @AlexLyttleAuthor.
