February 28th, 2012 from Henry Holt
Seven months have kept thirteen-year-old Derek from his sick brother Zach. Now that Zach is a ward of the state at seventeen and his parents have lost everything trying to help him, Derek and his grandfather board a Greyhound in the middle of a fierce snowstorm to see Zach for the first time since he was taken away. Along his journey we learn about Zach's illness and the devastating effects it had on his entire family. When Derek starts talking with a girl he has dubbed Purplehead, Derek thinks that maybe this long bus ride won't be so bad after all.
The story behind Zach's illness is revealed in short flashbacks as Derek recounts the demise of Zach's health and the series of hospital and doctor visits that lead to the loss of their family home. It all started with mild rebellion, but soon the family realized that Zach was more than just a little hot-headed. His highs and lows were more than the family could bare and after a suicide attempt, they lost Zach along with everything else. I really enjoyed learning exactly what happened to Zach. In the beginning, we weren't sure how sick Zach is or the nature of his illness. This part of the story slowly evolves over time and the pacing of the reveal was very well done.
