Bryan Bliss creëert verhalen die zich verdiepen in de stille worstelingen en diepe verbindingen binnen families. Zijn verhalen verkennen thema's als ergens bij horen, geloof en de zoektocht naar betekenis in alledaagse levens. Door middel van lyrische proza en herkenbare personages nodigt hij lezers uit in intieme werelden die lang na de laatste bladzijde blijven nazinderen.
Navigating the complexities of faith amid life's challenges, this guide addresses the pressing question of why bad things happen. It engages teenagers with biblical stories and candid discussions about sin and suffering, encouraging them to explore their feelings and thoughts on evil. Through an honest and hopeful approach, it aims to help readers find peace and understand their role in a troubled world. Written by bestselling YA novelist Bryan Bliss, it offers a nuanced perspective that resonates with today's youth facing difficult realities.
Recognized by multiple prestigious awards, this book has garnered acclaim for its compelling narrative and relatable characters. It explores themes relevant to young adults, blending engaging storytelling with emotional depth. The accolades highlight its impact and popularity within the literary community, making it a standout choice for readers seeking meaningful young adult fiction.
Fight. Flight. Freeze. What do you do when you can't move on, even though the rest of the world seems to have? Powerful and tense, Thoughts & Prayers is an extraordinary novel that explores what it means to heal and to feel safe in a world that constantly chooses violence. Claire, Eleanor, and Brezzen have little in common. Claire fled to Minnesota with her older brother, Eleanor is the face of a social movement, and Brezzen retreated into the fantasy world of Wizards and Warriors. But a year ago, they were linked. They all hid under the same staircase and heard the shots that took the lives of some of their classmates and a teacher. Now, each one copes with the trauma as best as they can, even as the world around them keeps moving
Set against a backdrop of impending doom, the story explores Abigail's life as she navigates her parents' apocalyptic beliefs. As she grapples with the weight of their fears, Abigail embarks on a journey of self-discovery, questioning her reality and the choices that shape her future. The narrative delves into themes of family dynamics, resilience, and the search for hope in a seemingly bleak world, ultimately highlighting the struggle between personal desires and inherited beliefs.
In a single night—graduation night—Thomas has to decide: Do what everyone has always expected of him? Or forge an entirely new path? Bryan Bliss’s absorbing examination of one boy struggling with expectations and realities will appeal to readers of Sara Zarr and Chris Crutcher. Thomas is supposed to leave for the army in the morning. His father was Army. His brother, Jake, is Army—is a hero, even, with the medals to prove it. Everyone expects Thomas to follow in that fine tradition. But Jake came back from overseas a completely different person, and that has shaken Thomas’s certainty about his own future. And so when his long-estranged friend Mallory suggests one last night of adventure, Thomas takes her up on the distraction. Over the course of this single night, Thomas will lose, find, resolve, doubt, drive, explore, and leap off a bridge. He’ll also face the truth of his brother’s post-traumatic stress disorder and of his own courage. In Bryan Bliss’s deft hands, graduation night becomes a night to find yourself, find each other, find a path, and know that you always have a place—and people—to come back to.
Julie knows it’s unusual that a professional wrestler runs a constant commentary on her life that only she can hear. But grief can be awfully funny sometimes. A novel about how to tread the line between moving on and holding on.Ever since her dad died three years ago, Julie has been surviving more than thriving. And surviving is sneaking into her parents’ closet when her mom is out, since it’s the only place that still sometimes smells like her dad. It’s roaming around the Mall of America. It’s pulling out the box of her dad’s VHS tapes, recordings of his favorite vintage professional wrestling matches.And it’s hearing the voice of the Masked Man in her head, running a commentary of her life.It’s embarrassing, really. Sure, he was her dad’s favorite wrestler, but that doesn’t mean she wants him in her head. And does he really have to comment on everything?As Julie finally starts to come out of the haze of grief just as her senior year is winding down, maybe she’ll finally figure out why that voice is there, and how to let it go.
