The Wrong Hands by Nigel Richardson

July Judges a Book by Its Cover

The old maxim tells you to look deeper, but let's be honest. The books that do really well are both well-written AND well marketed. Good graphic design, or interesting font go a long way toward enticing teen readers. So this month, I'm picking up anything I think looks cool. It doesn't have to be beautiful, but something that catches my eye. One of those books that I keep passing and thinking, hmmm ... wonder what that one's about ... I'm throwing caution to the wind, and being superficial.

His hands are the problem. They always have been. They look funny, they sound funny, they set him apart. There's no way that anyone will ever treat Graham like a normal person ... not with freak hands. Just like all the kids at school who call him Spakky, and Kylie Blounce who accuses him of all kinds of lies just for sharing his secret ... and he does have a secret.

When he gets the chance to spend the summer in London, living with his uncle, he can't wait to get out of his hometown. His parents want him out of sight for a while, at least until everything blows over from the Kylie scandal. This is his chance at big city living! He's gotten a job at his uncle's shop, and he practically has the flat to himself, since his uncle's never there.

Things are going well until the plane crash. He's just minding his own business when all of the sudden, a plane falls from the sky! Without really thinking, he goes on auto pilot. He hears a baby crying, and just reacts. He saves this child, and draws the attention of the local media ... and one very attractive Ms. Jennifer. She tells him that she followed him that day, she saw what he did. She knows what he can do, and she can help. She thinks he needs her help, and she's so pretty, and so sweet to him - it must be true.

I mean, all those nasty news articles coming out about him, she's the only one who understands. Jennifer is the only one who can help. Plus, he thinks he might have a chance with her, she does seem really interested. He can share his secret with her, right? He tries to think about what life would be like without his secret, without having to hide who he is from everyone around him. The thought is so liberating, and he wonders why he's never done it before. Of course, it's never that easy - is it? With slanderous articles appearing in the paper, and the cops hassling him for something he didn't do, there's no telling what will happen with Graham and his magic hands.

There is a distinct Catcher in the Rye flair to the dialog that gives it a familiar feel. I'm a sucker for anything Salinger-esque, so for any other fans, I recommend this. It has his elegant teen angst dialog, along with a distinct whimsy that almost seems at odds with the characters, but somehow manage to flow effortlessly.

"I felt something give in my hands. I felt them get bigger. Even bigger. The sun was on my forehead now. I was really hot, and my heart was hammering away, and I didn't dare open my eyes. My hands felt as big as beach towels. Then something was happening that I wasn't making happen, that seemed to have nothing to do with me. My hands were shaking, trembling, very fast, so fast that my whole arms ached, but I could do nothing to stop it. I tried to close up my hands, to fold the flesh back up. To send time whizzing backwards to before this started to happen and my hands were just hands. Big and clumsy and weird-looking, but just hands. Now they were - What were they? I didn't dare open my eyes to look," (Richardson pg. 83, 2006).

*Library Link*

If you liked this, check out:

The Rope Ladder by Nigel Richardson

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Skellig by David Almond

Richardson, N. (2006). The wrong hands. New York: Knopf.