Icelandic author Erling's pensive, meandering novel, previously published in 2008 in the U.K., opens on 13-year-old Josh Stephenson's birthday, which marks the beginning of months of internal turmoil and questioning. Josh lives with his overworked mother in Iceland; he yearns for his absent father, a sailor, who sends him a taxidermied falcon, which he and his best friend plan to make the star of their nature magazine. Tormented by his attraction to an older cousin, Gertrude (who has temporarily moved into his mother's house), and following a humiliating school incident, Josh distances himself from friends and family and decides to skip school indefinitely. During his respite, he wanders rugged Iceland, rolling thoughts and ideas over in his mind about the nature of existence and freedom. While Erling (Benjamin Dove) builds a sensitive portrait of teenage transformation with dashes of humor, beautiful observations, and a close look at the chaos that lies below the surface, the story lacks a decisive plot. Heavy use of figurative language and Josh's overly mature voice burden the novel's message about the pain of growing up. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Chapters that chronicle [Josh's] lust, loneliness and longing are sure to resonate with teens dealing with these universal adolescent issues.
—Kirkus Reviews

The awkwardness of being a 13-year-old boy is candidly shared by protagonist Josh Stephenson with humor and compassion. Erlings writes with poignancy; Josh’s experiences are raw enough to be embarrassing, sweet enough to evoke empathy.
—School Library Journal

Erling (Benjamin Dove) builds a sensitive portrait of teenage transformation with dashes of humor, beautiful observations, and a close look at the chaos that lies below the surface...
—Publishers Weekly

What a delightful book this is! (Highly Recommended)
—Library Media Connection

[G]ives thoughtful, clear-sighted, and ruefully funny expression to the emotional and physical torments of adolescence.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Gr 8 Up—On his 13th birthday, Josh Stephenson receives a stuffed falcon from his absent father and the Bible from his single, working mother. So begins the tumultuous year that will see numerous changes in Josh's life. His 17-year-old female cousin comes to stay, throwing his hormones into high gear. He learns that the father he once idolized is expecting a baby with his new girlfriend. Desperate to escape potential ridicule at school, particularly in the gym showers, Josh constructs a plan to skip school until he can figure out what's going on in his life. An amateur naturalist and zoologist, Josh uses his observations of animals to make sense of the world around him, particularly as he spends much of his time in a hollow rock by the bay. Todd Haberkorn gives a solid performance of the first person narrative. His tone is earnest and unadorned, letting the thoughts and emotions of the sensitive and introspective boy dictate the performance. Caught between childhood and adulthood, Josh's loneliness and conflicting emotions will resonate with teens, as will his attempts at rationalizing his decisions and his belief that there is no one he can talk to about his life. Not every listener will be engaged by Erlings's novel (Candlewick, 2012), but those that persevere will appreciate this affecting coming-of-age story.—Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL

As soon as Josh Stephenson turns 13, his whole life is turned upside down. Todd Haberkorn lightheartedly tells Josh’s story, keeping Josh’s inquisitiveness and confusion in his tone as he encounters the first signs of puberty, including his first major crush and his reaction to an older girl cousin taking over the bathroom for bubble baths. Haberkorn’s mastery of voices is notable due to the many characters and conversations that make up Josh’s life. The uncertainty and incredulity in Haberkorn’s tone serve as a constant reminder of how unprepared a 13-year-old boy can be for all the changes that take place. C.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

A turgid observation of pubescent male angst translated from Icelandic by the former Sugercubes guitarist. "My childhood has faded like a bright summer day....Before me is the black forest of my grown-up years...a thick undergrowth that I have to fight through to move onward....Is this being a grown-up? Or is this just being thirteen?" Josh Stephenson is a boy on the cusp of manhood, and his worries are many. Will his distant father's new baby replace Josh? What will happen if his single, working mom finds out that he's been ditching school? How often can he sneak peeks at his 17-year-old cousin Trudy in the bathtub before getting caught? And most importantly, how does he keep the class bully from noticing his impressive new patch of pubic hair in the gym showers? This leisurely paced meditation, full of phrases like, "I'm both the creator and the created; I'm both the matter and the spirit, a fish in the sky and a bird in the ocean," might be better appreciated by former adolescents than by current ones. Nevertheless, while Josh's long-winded philosophical musings are often ponderous, the chapters that chronicle his lust, loneliness and longing are sure to resonate with teens dealing with these universal adolescent issues. (Fiction. 12 & up)