Anywhere but Here

Description

Cole's small town is a trap he's determined to escape in this fresh and moving debut novel that balances loss with humor. Ever since his mom died, Cole just feels stuck. His dad acts like a stranger, and Lauren, his picture-perfect girlfriend of two years, doesn't understand him anymore. He can't ditch his dad, so Cole breaks up with Lauren. She doesn't take the news very well, and Cole's best friend won't get off his case about it. Now more than ever, Cole wants to graduate and leave his small, suffocating town. And everything is going according to plan-until Cole discovers the one secret that could keep him there...forever.

Tanya Lloyd Kyi and her family live near Vancouver, Canada. Visit her at TanyaLloydKyi.com.

"Cole's voice is convincingly filled with a combination of angst and nonchalance." -- Kirkus "Kyi's novel presents a heart-wrenching, realistic depiction of a son grieving the loss of his mother. Grades 9-12." -- Booklist "Kyi demonstrates a certain amount of bravery in her treatment of the characters and their stories: Cole isn't always as likeable as he thinks he is - in fact, he's a bit of a jerk - and the other characters are vividly, humanly flawed. The author allows her characters room to make bad decisions and doesn't flinch from dramatizing the consequences. The novel's relatability twists inside the reader." -- Quill & Quire "The book is unusually clear-eyed in its depiction of both the negatives and the positives of a close-knit small town. There's an underlying nuance to the dynamics and a pleasing lack of villainy to the characters, so events are emotional rather than melodramatic." -- Bulletin for Center of Children's Books