My father's son

 

Fields, T. (2008). My Father’s son. New York: Roaring Brook Press.
Interest level: Grades 7+
Reading level: 4+

Seventeen year old Kevin is your typical teenager. He has a crush on a girl and plays basketball, living your typical teenage life. His parents are divorced and he lives with his mom during the week and his dad on weekends. His world is turned upside down when his father is arrested on suspicion of killing 11 women, an event that Kevin witnessed on TV. Kevin is soon in the middle of this major drama, with his life no longer that of a typical teenager. He can’t fathom how it could be possible that his dad is a killer, but his dad refuses to speak to him so he’s left to come to his own conclusions. As his other relationships fall apart (he’s now dubbed Monster Junior) he  experiences the stages of loss as he tries to understand what is happening.

This is a suspenseful book that suspense lovers will eat up. However, Kevin’s tone is not always believable and his seemingly sudden change of heart midway through the book will bother some readers. The ending wraps up a bit too neatly as well. However, this is a unique book with a subject that is not often seen in tween literature. Anyone who follows the news and is engrossed by stories of killers being caught will no doubt like reading about how this affects the family of the accused.