Stand-Off

Andrew Smith just has this way of hiding important issues under sarcasm and wit, that by the time you finally have to put down his book because there is nothing left to read, you realize that the 400 pages you just read were more than a story, but a life lesson on change and depression and growing up.

Initial Thoughts: This was such an important book after the way things were left in Winger. This book was definitely darker than Winger, but it still had the quirky Ryan Dean that I have come to love. I think Stand-Off had a bit more substance in terms of plot since Ryan Dean was dealing with a lot in his senior year. Another aspect of this book that I truly loved was Sam Abernathy. Right from the beginning you knew he was going to be a great edition to Ryan Dean's life. Sam definitely added a lot of laughs to the story even when it was juxtaposed with Ryan Dean's difficulties.