Nix Minus One

Nix Humbolt doesn’t talk much. Though at fifteen he’s taller and leaner than in his “Fatty Humbolt” days, he still lies low at school. At home, Nix finds refuge in his father’s workshop, where he builds intricate boxes and tables--and avoids arguments with his polar-opposite older sister. Roxy is so alive, the air around her vibrates. Nix would slay ten dragons for her, but she drives him crazy--especially when she decides to go after Bryan Sykes. The guy is seriously toxic, but Roxy won’t listen, so what can Nix do? The only battles he ever fights are on his Xbox--until the day he finds the guts to fight for Swiff Dunphy’s neglected dog. Twig won’t win any beauty contests, but Nix is determined to save her. And when things start to spiral out of control, she might just be the one who saves him. Publisher’s Weekly selected Nix Minus One as a Best New Book, adding, “Writing with careful, evocative language, MacLean explores love in myriad forms.” Kirkus Reviews calls it “Well-crafted and intense” and School Library Journal says, “Readers used to a diet of cliché-ridden YA fiction will enjoy this refreshing take on the teenage plight.”