“Charlie is the best at dying,” begins this moving, powerful novel in verse from Rob Sanders, best known for his picture books but now stepping into middle-grade territory. After the haunting beginning, set in 1987, we learn that Calvin and his brothers Charlie and Curtis have hemophilia, a rare disease that prevents their blood from clotting. They are given treatments made from other people’s blood—but this substance meant to heal them instead gives them what was then a death sentence, as the boys contract AIDS from it. As others in their small Florida community gradually find out and panic about catching the misunderstood disease, the boys are kicked out of school, baseball, scouts, and even their church. The boys’ single mom tries to protect the family as fear and hate close in.
Calvin seeks to understand and to maintain a friendship with his best friend Izzy, who lives far enough away that she hasn’t heard—yet. And once a court requires that the school let the brothers come back, Calvin finds support from a teacher who encourages his love of poetry as a way to express himself. Fear has strong roots, however, and tragedy for the family is closer than any of them expect.
While I usually only include books in this database if they are clearly LGBTQ inclusive, I am making an exception for this one, since the topic of AIDS and the public response to it are so much a part of LGBTQ history in the late 20th century (and still today). None of the boys appear to be queer, although there are hints that the teacher might be. (I am tagging it as such so that readers seeking such representation can find it and decide for themselves.)
Inspired by real events and people (notably Ryan White and the Ray brothers), but fictionalized by Sanders to powerful, dramatic effect, this is a story about bias and narrow-mindedness, but also about hope, love, resilience, and the precious, rare power of allies. It may not be a happy story, but it feels like a necessary one.
