Beware The Smart Kids

Paterson Prize for Books for Young People Co-Winner Grades 7-12 (2025) They say it's Mr. Barno's fault that several of his students died 25 years ago. They say it's Nolan Sussman's fault that his sister ran away 8 years ago. What if they're right? What if they're wrong? Misfit troublemaker Nolan Sussman badly wants two things before high school ends: the attention of Gabi Meyers and the return of his runaway sister, Sarah. But when his latest prank goes awry, Nolan is nearly expelled. He's forced to spend his summer doing yardwork for Mr. Barno, a reclusive former high school teacher who spent 25 years in prison. Nolan soon finds that despite the tragic mistake that landed Mr. Barno in prison, the old man has something even more elusive than Gabi and Sarah: happiness. Now, Nolan is determined to learn how to be happy, too. It's his chance to matter. His shot at a future. But secrets in Mr. Barno's past are preventing the once-beloved educator from having the will to ever teach again. Secrets the two outcasts will have to face together.