JOEY THE GOOD

A boy who’s ready to spend the summer after seventh grade watching soccer and cooking with his nonna embarks on a wilderness adventure.

Ever since Nonno’s death two years ago during a fishing trip with Joey and his older cousin, Leo, Joey has struggled to enjoy the outdoors like he used to. But now Leo is coming to California for a visit, and he wants Joey to climb Mount Whitney with him on what would have been Nonno’s 75th birthday. Popular, beloved Leo is seemingly good at everything from attracting girls to feats of athleticism. He also, to Joey’s surprise, has been diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and he wants to conquer this bucket list item before the disease progresses. The pair face grueling training, their shared grief, and Leo’s overdoing it when he needs to be mindful of his health. All the while, the cousins must lean on each other. Joey is a strong first-person narrator. He’s hobbled by the guilt surrounding the circumstances of Nonno’s death and insecurity over being out of shape, but he blossoms through hiking and rediscovers his natural, likable warmth via new friendships. Leo is a well-rounded character, not simply a prop for Joey’s story, but while the close, fraught bond between the cousins is realistic, Leo’s illness is somewhat vaguely portrayed, primarily through Joey’s eyes. The Italian American family’s culture is woven into their lives.

A strongly characterized examination of healing familial reconnection.