This Book Is Not Yet Rated

Gr 9 Up—A heartfelt, humorous contemporary novel about the magic of movies, first love, and found families. Seventeen-year-old Ethan has watched a movie every day for the last three years. Each one is a doorway into another life—and each life lived vicariously through film is better than his own. In real life, Ethan's father died unexpectedly and his best friend–turned–movie-star hasn't spoken to him in years. The only place Ethan feels he belongs is the dilapidated independent movie theater he manages, which has a significant rodent problem and an even more significant debt problem. But when developers show up, intent on tearing down the cinema to build a "residential/retail establishment," Ethan and his ragtag band of misfit employees must find a way to convey the magic of obscure films to the masses or risk losing the place they consider home. Genuinely moving, this novel takes a nuanced look at how to cope with the losses you didn't see coming and how to live in the face of destruction that you can't control. Larger-than-life characters and clever film references are laugh-out-loud funny. However, there are no easy answers to the book's central problems, keeping Ethan's emotional journey—from being a spectator in his own life to living it again—satisfyingly real.