Book overview
Just because you see something doesn't mean it's really there.
Seventeen-year-old Calvin has always known his fate is linked to the comic book character from Calvin & Hobbes.
He was born on the day the last strip was published. His grandpa put a stuffed tiger named Hobbes in his crib. And he even had a best friend named Susie.
Then Calvin's mom washed Hobbes to death. Susie grew up beautiful and stopped talking to him. And Calvin pretty much forgot about the strip--until now.
Now he is seventeen years old and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hobbes is back, as a delusion, and Calvin can't control him. Calvin decides that cartoonist Bill Watterson is the key to everything--if he would just make one more comic strip, but without Hobbes, Calvin would be cured.
Calvin and Susie (is she real?) and Hobbes (he can't be real, can he?) set out on a dangerous trek across frozen Lake Erie to track down Watterson.
Calvin by Martine Leavitt is a stirring YA novel that's not just a story about one boy's struggle with schizophrenia, but a coming of age story, a love story, and one unforgettable adventure. Martine Leavitt is the author of Keturah and Lord Death, a National Book Award Finalist, My Book of Life by Angel, which garnered five starred reviews and was a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist, and Heck Superhero, a finalist for the Governor General's Award.
Praise for Calvin:
"The novel has a fresh, funny voice that never diminishes the seriousness of schizophrenia. Leavitt delivers an imaginative exploration of mental illness, examining what's real and what's true in this magical world." --Booklist, starred review
"Written as a letter to Watterson (to fulfill a make-up English assignment), the first-person narrative eschews quotation marks and dialogue tags, further blurring the lines between real life and what's in Calvin's head. . . .Memorable." --Horn Book, starred review
"Equal parts coming-of-age tale, survival adventure, and love story, this outstanding novel also sensitively deals with an uncommon but very real teen issue, making it far more than the sum of its parts. " --Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"Funny, intellectual, and entertaining, it's a sensitive yet irreverent adventure about a serious subject." --Publishers Weekly
"Sweet, romantic, and funny." --School Library Journal
