Grand & Humble

by Brent Hartinger

Book Overview

Two Teenage Boys, Both at a Crossroads...

Harlan and Manny are both seventeen years old, but they couldn't be more different. Harlan is an athlete with a beautiful girlfriend, the son of a powerful U.S. Senator, and possibly the most popular kid in his high school. Meanwhile, Manny is a quirky theater geek, the son of a struggling single father, and one of the school's least popular kids. And yet, Harlan and Manny both share the same sense...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0984679499
• ISBN13: 9780984679492
• Release Date: May 2016
• Publisher: Bk Books
• Length: 210 Pages
• Weight: 0.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

Excellent

I've never read anything like this book (and that's a good thing). To say any more would be a bad thing. Just read it.

Grand and Humble Review by Nick

Grand and Humble was awesome! It was a one of a kind book, and I have never read anything like it. I was always wanting to read more and find out what would happen next. Grand and Humble is about two boys, Manny and Harlan, that each live totally different life styles. Manny is a geek, with not a lot of money, and lives in a small house. Harlan on the other hand, is son of the senator, has more money than he knows what to do with, lives in a huge house, he is on the swim team, and on top of that he is the school president. Now you're probably wondering how two totally different guys such as Harlan and Manny have anything to do with each other. Well, it is their senior year of high school and everything seems to be going great for both of them, until they start getting visions of them-selves getting hurt and even their deaths. After a few months the visions started getting out of control, and they don't know how much more they can take. What will happen when they find out the meaning of these visions?

Couldn't put it down!

I am a big fan of Hartinger's, but this book was my favorite barring THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. I loved the main characters and all the sub-characters were so appealing. And I never saw the twist coming! Not only was it a surprising twist, but it reframed the whole story in a way for me that has left me thinking about it for days. Highly recommended.

A suspenseful and thought-provoking novel about the strange connection between two unlikely characte

On the surface, Manny and Harlan have absolutely nothing in common. Sure, they're the same age and they attend the same high school. But Harlan is the school's golden boy --- the school president and star of the swim team, dating the hottest girl in school. Manny, on the other hand, is a big nobody. He does lighting for the school plays, and in his spare time he enjoys making movies and designing websites. He's happy enough with his single dad, who's a paralegal, but no one would ever call his life glamorous. Harlan, by contrast, does have an exciting life: his dad is a U.S. Senator, even if it's his mom who really runs the show. Harlan's life is a whirl of parties, receptions and celebrities. So why do both Harlan and Manny share the same sense of dread? Manny has been suffering from crazy nightmares that seem to be about his own past. Harlan has frightening visions of the future that seem to be coming true. Could they be connected? As the psychic whom Harlan consults says, "the past and the future are often one and the same." What secrets lurk in the boys' disturbing visions --- and why are they both drawn to the same intersection, at the crossing of Grand and Humble? Brent Hartinger, who has won popular and critical acclaim for his earlier young adult novels such as GEOGRAPHY CLUB and THE LAST CHANCE TEXACO, again does a great job of delving realistically into the social lives and psyches of teenagers. As readers get farther and farther into GRAND & HUMBLE, though, they'll realize that Manny and Harlan's stories verge more on magical realism than on the everyday. The novel's surprising ending will inspire many to reread the story immediately, picking up on clues that they might have missed the first time around. In addition to being well-plotted, though, this suspenseful novel also includes genuinely thought-provoking questions about why we are who we are, and how the smallest choices may have the largest consequences. --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

GRAND AND WONDERFUL!

GRAND AND HUMBLE (YA/Harper Tempest) I'm a fan of Brent Hartinger's writing so I was eager to read his newest book. I had no idea what to expect except I'd heard it was different that his other books. I'm going to be careful in this review not to reveal too much, but I can tell you that when I finished reading this book I literally said, "WOW!" And I'm still thinking about it, tempted to read it again to catch all the hidden meanings. GRAND AND HUMBLE follows Manny, a humble likeable guy who is suddenly tormented by terrible dreams, and Harlan, a wealthy charismatic guy who is suddenly tormented by visions of death. As the chapters alternate from each viewpoint, the dreams and visions grow stronger, pushing the characters to delve deeper into secrets of the past. Manny's father seems to be hiding something and Harlan is being manipulated by his ambitious mother. Secrets are revealed and drive the characters toward a stunning revelation that takes places at the street intersection of Grand and Humble. The characters are likeable, the pacing swift and mesmerizing, and the ending packs a surprising punch. Part mystery, part emotional journey. Excellent book! Highly recommended! I expect to see this on future YA award lists.