Smiles to Go audiobook

"And smiles to go before I weep, And Smiles to go before I weep." —BT, Smiles to Go, P. 44 "I feel like I'm playing chess underwater. The pieces keep floating away. I don't know where things are. I can't figure out tomorrow." —Will Tuppence, Smiles to Go, P. 140 Simply put, Jerry Spinelli never misses. HE...NEVER...MISSES. The beauty of this story really sneaks up on the reader, but it is as splendidly crafted as just about anything else that has been written. The love scenes are really, truly magical, and the ends to which the relationships bloom and are seen to their full potential is a work of real art. This must be viewed as one of the top works in the genre for 2009. I love this book. Jerry Spinelli is unbeatable. "I'm that way, goofy as it sounds. Sometimes I don't want things to happen-I'm talking about good things, even wonderful things-because once they happen, I can't look forward to them anymore. But there's an upside, too. Once a wonderful thing is over, I'm not all that sad because then I can start thinking about it, reliving and reliving it in the virtual world in my head." —Will, PP. 168-169

Usually i don't read Jerry Spinelli's books because i think they are childish, but Smiles to go proved me wrong. The author kind of make the beginning of the book so uninteresting, but then it starts to pick up. But other than that, the book is pretty all right. In the beginning of the book, it talks about how this kid Will Tuppence is interested in protons and science. But the story drags on like the author didn't have anything else to say, until the next chapter comes along.The story talks about Will's best friends; BT and Mi-su. BT cares about nothing, and Mi-su is all about science and chess like Will. So they go to this star party to look in telescopes, well a little bit more happens then just looking into telescopes... BT and Mi-su kiss! Will totally freaks out! I mean yeah, if i caught my friends kissing, I'd freak out too! But then Will fires up this plan to kiss Mi-su for some odd but interesting reason.Will ends up kissing Mi-su and more than one kiss. I think personally that Mi-su takes advantage of boys because the next day, she kisses some guy who's lead role in the play she's in, just to kiss him! Does Mi-su want to drive Will to insanity of jealousy? But of course, Will finds another way to get her back to him. Will has this annoying little sister that he has to deal with too. She throws away his favorite jelly beans, answers the phone and then hangs up, messes with Will's and she says things to him just to make Will snap. While all this stuff is happening with Will and his friends, his sister trys to make his life as miserable as she can possibly make it. During one of Will's most important chess games of his teenage life, Will's dad came in and told him that his little sister was in the hospital! I bet that Will felt bad that he was mean to his sister then!I think this is one of the best Jerry Spinelli books i have ever read. He needs to make more books mature like this book is, instead of for like 10 year olds. This book is recamended to everyone who likes drama filled, confused boys in it (me)!

I'd have to put this title down as one of my favorite Spinelli novels. Will is a real person with a convincing and consistent internal voice. His obsession with planning and attention to minute details reveals a scientific and intellectual mind -- at the same time, he is slightly lacking in the "social intelligence" -- not being able to read the cues of his peers and more damagingly, not being able to decipher his little sister's actions as cries for attention in a somewhat positive way. Now... I was not as convinced by the 5-year-old Tabby and all her super sophisticated ways and the parents' lack of intervention between the two siblings since they seem to be VERY aware and understanding of both Tabby and Will's emotional lives. Usually, this would have been ground enough for me to discredit the whole book -- but since Will is so well drawn, I am willing to suspend my disbelief for those dozens of pages.

Smiles to go by Jerry Spinelli was in my opinion a very good book. The main character Will Tuppence is in 9th grade about to go into 10th. Will's two best friends are named BT. BT is a laid back kind of guy which is the complete oposite of Will. Will has a little sister named Tabitha Tuppence and he dispises her in every way. Tabitha looks up to BT and whatever he does she will follow. One day BT goes down a skateboarding hill called dead mans hill. It is the most dangerous and scary hill any onw could go down. One day Tabitha is left with her aunt while Will and his parents go to a chess compition and Tabby didnt get to go. So Tabby threw a fit and she took Will's skateboard and went down deadmans hill. She was put in a trauma center and soon recovered. All in all Smiles to go was a very amazing book.

Spinelli's back with a gem of a story. I loved the focus on relationships between friends and siblings. It seemed very true to life. Will is a believable character and one that both boys and girls will relate to.I just re-read this for my teen book group. Still a great read; Will is a wonderful character, flaws and all.

3.5/5 I think. Spinelli is so unique and refreshing. I love when "kids" books tell "adult" stories. If you liked Stargirl, you'll love this. Poignant, refreshing, and full of character - which is saying something considering that the novel is short. Spinelli manages to touch our hearts in so few words

Finished my second read through and this book is still just as special to me - my absolute favorite middle grade novel. I love Jerry Spinelli. I love stories about appreciating life. I love that this is the only book I've ever re-read and that I'll probably end up coming back to it again.

Another home run for Jerry Spinelli. His characters are spot on.

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli is a book about a kid Will Tuppence, a kid interested and has an annoying little sister named Tabbitha. One day, a girl named Mi-su calls him and tells him to turn to a radio channel, he then learns of a proton dying. Soon many things start happening, his friend named BT skates down a deadly hill, he gets worried of everything going to be gone, one tiny flash at a time. I really enjoyed this book, it was emotional, suspenseful, and interesting, sometimes I just couldn’t put the book down. I would definitely recommend this book and other books by this author, I personally came from MilkWeed yet anyways. This book is a realistic fiction with drama and sometimes it hit you hard, especially the ending, which was very powerful and sometimes you feel bad for Will, and Tabby, and what he learns really impacts him and his life.

I absolutely love Jerry Spinelli (I feel like now that I've read, and loved, three of his books, I can "officially" say that I love him as an author instead of only loving his books). In Smiles to Go Will is so philosophical, he's so much more than the artificial, shallow guy found in so many YA books. He has a take on life that's way beyond his years, he asks questions and ponders things that wouldn't even occur to most people, and I absolutely loved listening to his thoughts. Not being a guy, I have no idea if Will's thought processes are "normal" for guys, but I couldn't write this review without including something about how much I love his approach to the fact that he's "drawn to" Mi-Su. His careful planning of the perfect moment, and making everything exactly how she would want it was adorable, and it made me love him so much more. On top of loving the book itself, I thought that the audiobook for Smiles to Go was fantastic. It was, without a doubt, the shortest audiobook I've ever listened to (only four hours on disks) and I finished it in a day. I thought Conor Donovan did a great job reading, and I would definitely recommend getting the audio version of this book!Kitreadingteen.net

My mom told me to just read this and I'm glad I did! I quickly read through the first chapter to see what I’d think about it and after reading “Me and sock monkeys made of the same stuff? It was too much to digest.” It made me laugh and I had to keep reading. It wasn't an awesomely exciting book like I usually enjoy but it was sweet and helped me remember what’s really important. I found myself smiling and laughing throughout and cried through the last 1/4 of the book!It was a simple story about a young teenage boy and his relationships with others. I did find myself smiling about my own silly teenage memories and how intense those emotions feel at that time and how you can easily get caught up in your own little world. Although at any point in your life I think it can be easy to do just that. It made me think about showing more love and patience to the people that are most important to me especially when they may be “too little to understand the best way to get you to love” them. Gaze at the stars, be in the moment, don’t judge, and remember what you really value in life. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I think it was really well written. Definitely gives you Smiles to Go!

Will Tuppence is afraid. He is afraid of strangers, protons decaying, what the universe will come to, girls, and so much more. However, he has to balance his day to day life with his purpose in life, the universe’s impending doom, his younger sister, and his friends. In Smiles To Go, by Jerry Spinelli, Will struggles with nearly everything, but doesn’t allow himself to show any of it. Written like a piece of poetry, Spinelli uses deep underlying themes to really get across what life can be like for an average high school nerd. Smiles To Go is by far one of the best books I have ever read and is really a deeper book than seems on the surface. Will’s relationships with his family, sister, and friends is something so real that I felt as if I was right there with Will, through the entire book. Smiles To Go is an engaging read for advanced readers who want a book that puts a rare spin on everyday conflicts as well as portraying multiple, complex underlying themes. Told from Will’s perspective, this fictional story by the infamous Jerry Spinelli, author of over fifty books, including Stargirl, Wringer, Loser, and Maniac Magee, is one of an average high school Freshmen. Anyhow, Spinelli gets into the head of Will and tells an ordinary story like it’s a dramatic Shakespeare play, yet blending it nicely with modern interest and expectancies. Taking place in modern society, Smiles To Go illustrates multiple themes incorporating the potential doom of the universe, as well as more personal themes, like the true meaning of family and how we should let life go on. In one his more complex writings, Spinelli executes this exquisitely. As freshman nerd in high school, Will plans everything he does and will ever do very methodically, down to everything he will say, and how he will say it. Will has two close friends, BT, a super chill skateboarder who walks out of school whenever he feels like and cares about literally nothing and Mi-Su, a school and socially smart girl who has helped and encouraged will throughout his life. Tabby, Will’s younger sister in first grade, lives to pester him. Will’s relationship with her slowly weakens until something so drastic happens that will forever change how they see each other. When Will isn’t in school, he’s either skateboarding or hanging out with BT and Mi-Su, trying to avoid his sister. However, a different conflict comes up when Will’s secret love interest throws him a curveball that he struggles to deal with. Still, his overall life is fairly average for a common high-schooler and this is something that makes the book so realistic. The way Jerry Spinelli writes Smiles To Go will made me think the story of Will Tuppence is not a fictional tale. The most prominent reason I gave Smiles To Go a five-star rating is its style of writing. Jerry Spinelli took this book to a new level. He writes it like one large poem, similar to his other works, of which he has many, but nothing I’ve read has come close to how intricate the wording, fluency, as well as his other literature aspects really are. How he is able to tell the story of a boring high-schooler’s life in such a sophisticated yet eccentric manner is something only a few author could ever hope to learn. Take a single paragraph of the book and you would call it a random poem, but put it all together and the half poems come together in such a way to make a complex, composite adventure. To be honest, I tried reading this book in 6th or 7th grade, but put it down because I wasn’t sure how to comprehend, or even read it. When I first picked it up, I hardly looked at like a book. Although now, as a more advanced reader, it fit perfectly in with my reading level and I’m sure would challenge anyone. It’s not just any ordinary read and written so poetically, it takes time to truly read and understand to its fullest. There will be parts you will have to read again, perhaps numerous times, but I would call this area of the book something that makes Jerry Spinelli’s writing unique. It’s impossible to fully grasp everything Spinelli wants to say without rereading certain sections he likely wanted you to read again. Not only is the realisticness, and style of writing on point, but the characters are too. Will, as the protagonist, is not only the one who seems real, but it’s his friends family, and pretty much everyone in the book. Spinelli can use just a few sentences and describe a person completely. He uses indirect and direct descriptions and creates a beautiful blend, bringing the characters to life seamlessly. BT and Mi-Su, two very clear foils, bring the best out of Will, each in their own separate ways. I honestly can’t imagine how much thought was put into the sheer development of these two characters. BT, as a daring, apathetic, laid-back character contrasted with Mi-Su, who has high energy, is always positive, and keeps Will off BT’s back during their Friday-night monopoly is such a well done combination. Also, Will’s relationship with Tabby, his troublesome younger sister seems so realistic and I know for a fact such a crucial character isn’t easy to assemble. The characters are done so well, that like I said before, it makes the story so much more authentic.All in all, Smiles To Go is by far one of the most creatively written fictional story I have ever read, and just about anything by Jerry Spinelli is sure to be something you won’t want to put down. Smiles To Go gets you thinking about big questions, challenges your views on family, friends, and nearly everything in your life. It doesn’t need to be a fantasy, a sci-fi, or even a murder mystery to get you wondering, all it needs to be is a well written fiction. Jerry Spinelli consistently delivers exceptional content and puts real thought into his books, and having read multiple of his award-winning books, Smiles To Go is one of the best book I have ever read. Nowadays, it might seem like every book is just a good book after another good book. Smiles To Go is easily the most innovative and original books you will ever read and is a must read if you want to genuinely see how far modern literature can go.

This was such a thought-provoking little book. I really like this author. He uses great metaphors like: "off the edge of self-control and down the slippery slope of my own words." The main character is a young man totally into science and the idea of protons leaving and flying and dying in tiny flashes, getting caught up in their own world, not seeing the proton picture or the whole picture. Maybe it's enough to know who we are just today, right now, this minute. Don't calculate and judge or worry about protons dying one by one. Why is it so hard to remember to appreciate? just appreciate? This young man learns to deal with learning , growing up, and life's little dramas. He learns that with his strong belief in the way the world works that he still had to be open to see the beauty of life and relationships, and being 'in the moment'. When he learned that his undie-able protons can die, his life all becomes comparable to that. I learned a new word: solipism, is believing that the self is the only reality.

** spoiler alert ** I'm young. But I have two favorite books in life. One for a younger generation, and one for an older, more mature one. One is about a Personal Legend, the other is about a big brother trying to make sense of this crazy world. Smiles to Go changed my life. I cannot bear to part with my copy, even though it's tattered and torn and the front cover bends up at an awkward angle. Will Tuppence is a hero to the everyday generation. You know why? Because he's human, he makes mistakes, and Jerry Spinelli doesn't try to make him perfect. And that's precisely what, um, makes him perfect. Honestly? If you haven't read this, you're not living under a rock, but you might as well be. After this book you'll find yourself valuing the pesky little sister in your life, gazing at the stars when you never have before, and loving your friends because they're your friends. And that's enough. Will is perfect. This book is perfect, and it completed me.

I can't start how good this book is,that can fluently describe very descriptive words.Also it use's very descriptive words to show what happens in this book.(view spoiler)[ In the first chapter of Smiles to GoWill the main character is over at his high school friends house and he watch's him do science.Then one day his friend starts to read a book and when he reads the book he says "whoa" and Will ask's what.Then his friend tells him about atoms and protons and how they cant die.The next day or so Will is cutting strawberry's and then the phone rings and his friend that is a girl tells him to come on over to play monopoly and eat pizza.Then the radio say's that a proton has died. I love this book so much I don't know why this book is so good. At the end of this book wills sister tabby goes down dead and hill and ends up in the hospital. (hide spoiler)]