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The moment Spencer meets Hope the summer before seventh grade, it's . . . something at first sight. He knows she's special, possibly even magical. The pair become fast friends, climbing trees and planning world travels. After years of being outshone by his older brother and teased because of his Tourette syndrome, Spencer finally feels like he belongs. But as Hope and Spencer get older and life gets messier, the clear label of "friend" gets messier, too. Through sibling feuds and family tragedies, new relationships and broken hearts, the two grow together and apart, and Spencer, an aspiring scientist, tries to map it all out using his trusty system of taxonomy. He wants to identify and classify their relationship, but in the end, he finds that life doesn't always fit into easy-to-manage boxes, and it's this messy complexity that makes life so rich and beautiful.



About the Author

Rachael Allen

Quick bio:RACHAEL ALLEN is a scientist by day and kid lit author by night. She is the winner of the 2019 Georgia Young Adult Author of the Year Award, and her books include Harley Quinn: Reckoning (forthcoming, RHCB '22) , 17 First Kisses, The Revenge Playbook, The Summer of Impossibilities, and A Taxonomy of Love, which was a Junior Library Guild Selection and was among the 2018 Books All Young Georgians Should Read. Rachael lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband, two children, and two dire wolves. She loves homemade peach ice cream, having adventures all over the world, and stories that make her feel like she's been poured inside another person. More stuff about me:- I love reading and writing YA. - I'm represented by the fabulous Susan Hawk of Upstart Crow Literary. - Laurie Halse Anderson once gave me writerly advice on a post-it, and it was the culmination of my being. - I'm obsessed with football. Playing flag football, watching pro football (Falcons Rise Up!) , being a belligerent Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets fan, and playing fantasy football with my family. - I have held a human brain. (It was during anatomy lab. I'm not, like, a serial killer. ) - I'm such a wuss, I get scared watching the previews for horror movies. Seriously, when a scary commercial comes on, I squeal and frantically jab the fast forward button on our DVR remote. - I love reading about strong women protagonists, fully imagined worlds, anything STEM, rebellion against the establishment, neurodegenerative diseases, and makeover montages - though probably not all in the same book. - Some writers I love: Laini Taylor, Raina Telgemeier, Becky Albertalli, Jason Reynolds, Laurie Halse Anderson, Aisha Saeed, Libba Bray, Kara Taylor, Elizabeth Acevedo, Adam Silvera, Nina LaCour, E. Lockhart, Nicola Yoon, Julie Murphy, Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, I could go on forever.



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