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My Brother's Keeper by Patricia McCormick

 


My Brother's Keeper is a YA fiction novel by best-selling author Patricia McCormick. Toby's life seems to be spiraling out of control. His father has left, his mom is wrapped up in dating a new man, and his older brother, Jake, is not acting like himself. Toby believes he's in charge of getting his family back on track. But when it seems like something serious is going on with Jake, Toby isn't sure how much help he can, or wants, to give.

Sex: The opening chapters in the book are during Toby's sex education class. Some crude comments are made.

Language: Moderate.

Drug/Alcohol Use: Jake is a drug addict. He openly admits to doing acid.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: There is one particularly suspenseful scene when Toby's younger brother goes missing. Toby and Jake get into a fistfight.

Final Note: A real look at what it's like to have a family member struggling with addiction. Hopefully a book like this would encourage a sibling to seek help for their brother or sister, instead of feeling responsible and trying to cover for them.
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