STAR BROTHER

Sixteen-year-old Jason Atwood shocked everyone at his Nevada high school by winning the science fair with his highly realistic holograms.

This upset is a precursor to a full-ride scholarship to MIT for Jason, an orphan in the foster care system who’s hardened by trauma and resistant to love. When a strange older man named Roy Calvert approaches him claiming to be his twin brother, Jason can’t believe Roy’s outrageous narrative. But as it turns out, Roy and Jason are remarkably similar. They both feel as if they belong to a universe in which we can learn a lot from the stars. They both understand loneliness and must learn to heal together, so a road trip with Roy is the perfect opportunity for Jason to bond with his brother. The book requires some suspension of disbelief, but it’s a page-turner: As Jason and Roy unravel the shocking mystery of their origins, long-lost letters and documents and a secret code help them piece together the truth. Schur intersperses snippets from the past into the main storyline, expanding on the backstory. Jason’s trauma responses are realistically and empathetically written. Despite a rushed series of events at the end and an explanation that feels like it comes out of nowhere, the book ultimately succeeds in combining science fiction elements with a heartfelt storyline. Major characters read white.

A wild ride with plenty of heart.