Subject to Change by Karen Nesbitt

Subject to Change by Karen Nesbitt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book just really shook me to the core- Declan is this 15 year old living in Quebec with many, many adverse things going on in his life...and he is just so tired. Declan is not a good student, skips detentions a lot, hates his older brother, suffers silently about his family's dysfunction since his parent's divorce. Declan does have a job at an ice skating rink to help his mom out with bills, his angry, angry older brother bullies him and asks for money, his mom (after the divorce) has a job in an animal testing lab that is awful and she really does not share much with Declan, but he is the only one staying in school. After being pulled into the principal's office for an infraction that could get him in a lot of trouble; the principal offers him a way out- being tutored in order to keep his grades up and graduate. He would be the first in his family, and even though he thinks Leah is Little Miss Perfect; Declan does begin to hand in assignments, study, and hope/wish he can be a better student. What really broke my heart was what his family did to him at the time of the split and then the divorce. No one spoke to him about what really happened so he really missed his father (for 5 years his father stays away) and the whole family disintegrates. He is really struggling with so many things but feels he can't talk about anything. Debut author, Karen Nesbitt did a great job of showing a struggling teen with a barely coping family- I rooted for Declan to ask for help and hoped he would not suffer anymore. Nesbitt did a great job with all the characters in the book- they were all kinds of teens (his best friends, his brother and his loser friends, Leah and his needy ex), adults that cared (principal, guidance counselor, Leah's grandmother, when he finally comes on the scene- his father!)Teens and reluctant readers will love this authentic book --highly recommended!


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