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All That I Can Fix

Teenage Ronney’s small Indiana town has been overrun by wild animals released from a private zoo, the owner’s last act before committing suicide by gun. Ten- year-old Sam, a friend of Ronney’s little sister, Mina, is convinced Ronney can find his older brother, who ran away. Ronney is worried about Sam, worried about Mina, and worried about his stressed out mom. He also feels betrayed, and heartbroken, when he learns his two best friends are dating (they all know he has a crush on one of them). Above all, Ronney is uncompromisingly angry at his dad, who’s battling depression and recovering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a suicide attempt months before. This compelling, ambitious novel has just the right touch of the absurd to balance its serious themes. Some of the dangers and complexities of guns in society continue to play out as townspeople arm themselves against the animals, with some animals—and some people— proving more dangerous than others. Mixed-race Ronney’s specific heritage is intentionally never revealed. His experience as a brown-skinned teen is that people want to categorize him, and do judge him. He is an irresistible force at the center of this story, caring with each beat of his huge heart, despite every claim he makes to the contrary. ©2019 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

Wisconsin author

Crystal Chan grew up in Oshkosh. She attended Lawrence University in Appleton and currently lives in the Chicago area.

CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range: Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Depression Empathy and Compassion Forgiveness Friendship Multiracial Characters/Families Suicide Violence
Diversity subject: Brown Skin Unspecified Physical Disability/Condition

Publishers: Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse
Publish Year: 2018
Pages: 314
ISBN: 9781534408883

CCBC Location: Fiction, Chan

All That I Can Fix