I'll Give You the Sun

Nelson, J. (2014). I'll give you the sun. Dial Books. 
Printz and Printz Honor (2015 Winner)

Summary: Noah and Jude Sweetwine are fraternal twins who were raised by a conservative scientist father and a liberal artist mother. Growing up in a relatively stable home Noah and Jude always got along until the age of thirteen. At age thirteen Noah is focused on his art and getting into the art school, CSA, while Jude is focused on her friends who are concerned with their clothes and makeup. When Noah doesn’t get into CSA, he starts a secret relationship with a boy named Brian who is also trying to hide the fact that he is gay. When that doesn’t end well, tragedy strikes again at the age of fourteen when they learn their mom having an affair and planning to leave their father. Before she can make that happen, she is killed in a car accident.  Noah lies to his sister and dad telling them that she was planning on mending their broken marriage. At sixteen, after reeling at the loss of their mother Jude focuses on her art and gets accepted into CSA where she meets Guillermo Garcia, the man who had an affair with her mother. She does forgive him and falls in love with Oscar, a student he is mentoring. After having some daredevil experience, Noah faces the fact that he is still in love with Brian and comes out to his father who accepts him. Him and Jude reconcile their differences and come back together as a close-knit family.

Commentary: This novel is about coming of age and growing into whom you are. As Noah and Jude grow up, they mature and accept themselves at different rates and go in different paths. At a young age, Noah acted as the responsible and ambitious artist but when tragedy strikes, he reverts back to a more immature response and behavior until his life was taking a turn for the worse and he began to accept who he was. Jude, on the other hand, chose to ignore her responsibilities at a young age but then realizes her potential when she is faced with hardships. She becomes a driven, loving, and forgiving person because of it. Both experiences, although different, made them stronger and more accepting people.

Connection: The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson