In a World Just Right

Jonathan Aubrey is the only surviving member of his family, following a plane crash when he was a child. Since then, he’s lived with his often absent uncle, ignored by everyone at school. Physically and emotionally scarred, Jonathan learned to live in his imagination, only to discover he could create and travel to parallel worlds that operate on his terms—including the one in which classmate Kylie Simms is his devoted girlfriend. When “real Kylie” and “girlfriend Kylie” seem to be merging, Jonathan must find a way to complete the process or risk irreparable damage to both worlds and both Kylies. Jonathan’s somber internal monologue dominates Brooks’s debut—a decision that makes sense given his introversion and isolation, but that also gives the novel a claustrophobic feel and a slow pace. Only Jonathan and Kylie get much attention as characters in the first half of the novel, and while Jonathan’s world-making abilities offer dazzling possibilities, his manipulation of his relationship with Kylie never quite shakes its creepy edge, and a late-breaking twist may leave readers feeling as lost as Jonathan does. Ages 12–up. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.)