What About Will

By Ellen Hopkins

A brother's injury spirals into addiction, testing family bonds and hidden secrets.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 2,908 ratings

400 pages

$9.99Save 4%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Twelve-year-old Trace Reynolds idolizes his older brother Will, who once taught him to ride a bike and cheered him on at Little League. But after a football injury leaves Will with a brain injury, their family struggles under its weight. As Will battles depression and addiction, Trace covers for him, fearing further family fractures. Yet, as Will's behavior worsens, Trace faces a dilemma: how long can he keep his brother's secrets? In this poignant tale, the strength of brotherly love is tested against the harsh realities of change and loss.

From the publisher

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ellen Hopkins comes a new heartbreakingly tender middle grade novel in verse about the bonds between two brothers and the love they share. Now in paperback. Twelve-year-old Trace Reynolds has always looked up to his brother, mostly because Will, who’s five years older, has never looked down on him. It was Will who taught Trace to ride a bike, would watch sports on TV with him, and cheer him on at Little League. But when Will was knocked out cold during a football game, resulting in a brain injury–everything changed. Now, seventeen months later, their family is still living under the weight of “the incident,” that left Will with a facial tic, depression, and an anger he cannot always control. Afraid of further fracturing his family, Trace begins to cover for Will who, struggling with addiction to pain medication, becomes someone Trace doesn’t recognize. But when the brother he loves so much becomes more and more withdrawn, and escalates to stealing money and ditching school, Trace realizes some secrets cannot be kept.

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