Ghost Boys won't let US forget

Jeff and Cristina from Dr. Lila Fahlman School

We have Smack'd many a Smack. We have passed from book to book, often with slight indifference or a whole-hearted push for one particular book throughout the years. This round was different. We loved BOTH of these books so so much.
First, The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle. If ever someone could create a world in which I wanted to jump in and help someone, this was it. I love Mason like a real person, and I think of him often as life has gone on past his story. In fact, I am using this book in my grade 8 class already as my exemplar for independent novel study work. I think students can feel my palpable love for this story because now they all want to read it after I talked about it. Mason Buttle, you're all heart and I want to give you a big sweaty hug - let's not be now and then about it.
Second - Ghost Boys. I read this story 3 or 4 years ago. I could not find it anywhere locally or on Amazon, so I ordered it from a UK Bookstore called Blackwell's of Oxford. They sent it to me and included an oh-so-cute Blackwell's bookmark as a little souvenir. Since then, I have done this book as a read aloud for grade 8 language arts classes and EVERY SINGLE CLASS was enraptured and moved to emotional breakdowns and then lift-ups like a really cruel roller-coaster. The pages of my book are well worn, dog-eared and smell like coffee and potato-chip dust. What I'm getting at, is that this book is an immense treasure, and students cannot get enough of it. By FAR this is the most deserving book of moving on to the final round because how many books can you say you have encountered in your years of reading that turn the heads of every single person in earshot, stay with you for years to come, you can pick up time after time and read the story as though it were the first? I can honestly think of one other, perhaps you've heard this famous line a few times: "Stay gold, Ponyboy."
Look, this round was not easy for me, but it was cut and dry and I feel absolutely confident in my choice. Ghost Boys is an absolute essential read for every single human. Read it. Then read it again. Then share it with everyone you know.