Absent

From award-winning author Rex Ogle, a mixed-format middle grade novel about three boys who skip school, told in verse, prose, and comics.With a dad in jail and a lack of teachers interested in helping him learn, Manny doesnt see the point in anything besides skateboarding and writing lyrics. Calvin has so many responsibilities to his father and little brothers that when his bike is stolen, he cant make it to school on time. And while Liam is studious and wants to become a doctor, he is tormented by bullies and hides out in an unused janitors closet instead of going to class. When the boys are thrown together in detention, they realize that they might still have a lot to learnnot just from their teachers, but from each other.Absent tells the boys stories in three distinct voices: Mannys in verse, Calvins as a comic, and Liams as a prose journal. Printz Award Honoree and YALSA Nonfiction Award winner Rex Ogle explores school absenteeism in a compelling, entertaining, and utterly distinct novel.