
A parent would reach for this book when their child is struggling to navigate the 'before and after' of a family tragedy or feeling invisible in the wake of a sibling's needs. What About Will follows twelve-year-old Trace as he grapples with the aftermath of a traumatic brain injury that changed his older brother, Will, from a star athlete into someone impulsive and unrecognizable. Written in accessible verse, the story explores the heavy toll of a mother's abandonment and the isolation felt by the 'healthy' child in a fractured home. It is a poignant choice for children aged 10 to 14 who are dealing with divorce, family illness, or the feeling that their own needs have been sidelined by a family crisis. Parents will appreciate how it validates complex emotions like resentment and grief while providing a realistic path toward healing and connection.
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Sign in to write a reviewWill uses pills and other substances to cope with his injury and pain.
Depictions of verbal and physical outbursts resulting from a brain injury.
Trace faces difficult choices about whether to keep his brother's dangerous secrets.
The book deals directly and realistically with traumatic brain injury, divorce, parental abandonment, and substance use. The approach is secular and grounded in contemporary reality. The resolution is realistic rather than perfectly 'happy,' offering a sense of hope through better communication and professional support rather than a magical fix.
A 12-year-old who feels like the 'forgotten' child because a sibling or parent requires all the family's emotional energy. This is for the child who is mature for their age but still needs permission to be 'the kid' sometimes.
Parents should be aware of scenes involving Will's drug use and aggressive outbursts. The book is best read alongside a parent or with open lines of communication to discuss the heavy themes of abandonment. A parent might see their child becoming unusually quiet, withdrawing from activities they once loved, or acting as a 'caretaker' for others while ignoring their own sadness.
Younger readers will focus on the loss of the brotherly bond and the sadness of the mother being gone. Older readers will better grasp the nuance of the father's struggle and the complexities of Will's personality changes.
Unlike many books about disability that focus on the person with the injury, this book centers the sibling's internal life using spare, powerful verse that makes the emotional weight feel manageable yet profound.
Trace is a middle schooler living in the shadow of a family tragedy. His older brother, Will, suffered a traumatic brain injury during a high school football game, transforming from a popular athlete into a volatile, struggling teenager. Their mother has moved to Las Vegas to pursue a singing career, leaving Trace and his father to manage Will's unpredictable behavior. The story follows Trace as he navigates his own identity through writing and his bond with his dog, Shyla, while trying to protect his brother and keep his family from shattering completely.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.