Grendel's Guide to Love and War

April 24, 2017
Debut author Kaplan uses the epic poem “Beowulf” as inspiration for a clever, heartfelt story about teen angst, memory, and family. Seventeen-year-old Tom Grendel’s life in Masonberg, Va., is far from perfect. His mother died from a stroke when he was nine, and his father returned from Iraq with an untreated case of PTSD. When Tom’s elderly neighbors leave their home to their niece and her two children, Rex and Willow, things get really bad. Kaplan draws loose parallels between the poem and Tom’s growing feud with Rex, who throws a series of raging parties. Finding the late-night keggers unbearable, Tom’s father accepts an assignment hundreds of miles away, and Tom—fearing for his father’s sanity—takes action. The subsequent prank war escalates with the arrival of Rex’s older cousin, Wolf. Kaplan successfully reimagines Grendel in a sympathetic and modestly heroic light, as he fights a giant jerk and wins the heart of a girl with help from a loyal best friend and an older sister who takes charge. Ages 12–up. Agent: Hannah Bowman, Liza Dawson Associates.

Starred review from February 15, 2017
Tom Grendel battles unruly neighbors and honors family history, all with an eye on the girl next door, in this witty debut novel and homage to Beowulf.The white Jewish teen actually likes his home in the "retirement mecca" of Lake Heorot in Virginia. Since his mother's unexpected death, the older ladies in the community bake Tom casseroles, and he mows their lawns and gathers their oral histories. More important, it's been a quiet community for Tom and his widower father, Aaron, an Iraq War vet who suffers from PTSD. But when white local newscaster Ellen Rothgar moves in and her son, Rex, and nephew, Wolf, begin to hold loud, all-night parties that trigger Aaron's PTSD, Tom vows to rid the neighborhood of these thugs. A fine blend of quirkiness and raw emotion ensues as Tom and his neighbors wage war against one another, using fog machines, artisanal pigs, and other outlandish ammunition. Assisted by his spunky older sister and Ed, a Korean-American friend who waits tables at a knockoff American Girl cafe, Tom also hopes to save Rex's sister, Willow, in the process. Just as in the original epic, this loyal teen confronts his own identity and memories, particularly those of his mother. He wonders if he can really know a person. Can anyone? Deep and uproarious all at once, this doesn't require familiarity with the source material for readers to have a fine time with it. A clever spin on a weighty classic. (Fiction. 14-adult)

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Starred review from March 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-When the Rothgars move in next door, high schooler Tom Grendel's summer takes a turn into uncharted territory that proves often terrible, definitely weird, and occasionally wonderful beyond words. He has struggled with the death of his mother and his father's post-traumatic stress disorder for years; the appearance of the Rothgars, anti-manic pixie dream girl Willow, and inveterate bullies Rex and Wolf in particular push him to more deeply confront love, loss, and what it means to claim one's self. A well-crafted cast of characters and (mostly) winning humor help carry a narrative that never shies away from a nuanced portrayal of the pains and joys of adolescence and of the ability to find strength in embracing life's absurdity. Kaplan cleverly sprinkles elements from the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf throughout, adding a layer that attentive readers might appreciate. The allusions never run too deep, however, and those unfamiliar with the classic work won't miss much. VERDICT An outstanding YA novel balancing comedy with substantial themes of love, death, and healing.-Ted McCoy, Leeds Elementary and Ryan Road Elementary, MA

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 Tom Grendel is used to being the youngest in his retiree-friendly neighborhood of Lake Heorot, where he lives with his dad, a U.S. Army major who came back from Iraq broken. Tom, whose mom died when he was young, anticipates a quiet Virginia summer, spent mowing his elderly neighbors' lawns and hanging with Ed, his wine-brewing, Korean-not-Japanese best friend. Then the Rothgars arrive: behemoth jock Rex and his sister, Willow, Tom's childhood crush. When Rex's loud parties start to have a debilitating effect on Tom's dad, Tom and Ed take matters into their own hands. Several pranks later, it seems like they have the upper hand, until Rex's cousin Wolf shows up to turn the tables. This modern adaptation contains numerous sly references to Beowulf (keep an eye on those draconian old ladies!) as it sympathizes with the villaindidn't Grendel just want quieter neighbors? Tom himself is utterly sympathetic, and buoyant supporting characters help make this a particularly clever and sometimes poignant tale of summertime pranks gone wrong.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2017
Sensitive every-teen Tom Grendel and his widowed father live in a Virginia retirement communityhis dad, an army veteran with PTSD, needs the peace and quiet. Tom is planning on a summer spent mowing lawns and communing with his grandmotherly neighbors, but then two of his classmates and their mother move in next door. Willow Rothgar, Tom's enigmatic first kiss, is an exciting addition to the neighborhood; although Willow warns Tom she won't be his manic pixie dream girl, they nonetheless flirt, parry, and eventually hook up. Willow's brutish brother Rex and their obnoxious hipster cousin Wolf become a problem: their raucous parties drive Tom's fragile dad away, leaving Tom to figure out how to shut them up. What follows is suburban teen warfare. With help from a pair of strong supporting charactersTom's fiery, floundering college-grad sister, Zip, and his affable Korean American best friend EdTom executes wildly escalating pranks against his noxious neighbors and then extricates himself from their over-the-top counterattacks. All the while, Tom wrestles with memories of his mother, the quiet tragedies of old age that befall his neighbors, and the complexities of intimacy. An author's note identifies Tom's battle as a Beowulf update, but readers unfamiliar with the source material can still enjoy this frenetic but thoughtful contemporary novel. jessica tackett macdonald

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)