Going Places by Kathryn Berla

Going Places

by Kathryn Berla

Everyone had high expectations for Hudson Wheeler. His fourth grade teacher even wrote to his parents that Hudson was "going places." But everything went downhill after his father died on the battlefield of Iraq one year later. Now facing his senior year of high school without his two best friends by his side and with his teacher's letter still haunting him, Hudson seizes homeschooling as an opportunity to retreat from the world.

What happens during this year will prove to be anything but a retreat, as Hudson experiences love and rejection for the first time; meets the Amazonian-looking girl who shows him by example what it means to be a man; and solves the painful mystery of the “girl in the window”—an apparition seen only by the WWII vet whose poignant plight forces Hudson out of the comfort zone of boyhood.

Going Places is a peek into what male adolescence looks like today for those who don't follow traditional paths as they strive to find themselves.

Reviewed by readingwithwrin on

3 of 5 stars

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I got to read a little excerpt of this from bookishfirst, but I was a little unsure if I wanted to read it. As someone who was homeschooled, a lot of books don't really do it justice in my opinion. While this one doesn't really talk about the homeschooling part of Hudson's year, it does mention how much work he does have to do (which is true) and how things can be changed for your interests as long as they follow certain guidelines. For me, it was nice to see that in a book, as well as Hudson still having a social life, and being able to do things. (This was in part because of him still being able to take a couple classes at his high school.)


I also liked how we saw Hudson grow and change throughout this book. He is quite the entrepreneur and I really liked that. He has a dog walking business and another business that helps the older generation. This is something that I really loved seeing because a lot of young people are afraid of old people for some reason. So it was really nice to see him not be afraid of them, and actually trying to help them with things. He was never short on patience with them and was just truly caring. There were a few times that I was like no Hudson you have to go and see what that is even though it's late, but he did do very well in my opinion for the situation he was in.
I loved his friend Fritzy, and she was just so good in my opinion with putting him in his place, and just generally helping him become a better person.
I could have done without a certain character and just didn't really care for what she brought to Hudson's life after awhile.

Overall I really liked this book and enjoyed reading it. It was a quick read, and it did deal with several different topics that we're all handled really well in my opinion. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read.

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  • Started reading
  • 18 April, 2018: Finished reading
  • 18 April, 2018: Reviewed