My Friends, Fredrik Backman

“Loved this tale of teenagers - all with tough families and back stories - working together on a commitment to get their one friend “out” - out of poverty and violence and sadness. They come together to push his gift as an artist into the world, knowing that the beauty he creates will have a lasting impact on the world. The underlying theme of people being “one of us” - people who are good, who protect each other, who see beauty - is lovely and connection is the center of the story. A must read for summer.” - Gretchen