What people are saying:

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"Overflowing with sadness and hope, Sanders has written a celebration of poetry and family that is also a portrait of America as we were (and still are). An important book to share and discuss with middle-grade readers: a lightening bolt to the heart." 

— E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars

 

"This startling, moving, powerhouse of a verse novel should be read by every middle grader and YA reader in the US, actually in the world. It doesn't simply play on the heartstrings but is a full orchestral rendition of a human story that needs telling and retelling to bring us all back into our humanity."

--Jane Yolen, author of Owl Moon and The Devil’s Arithmetic.

 

"With a poet’s ear, Rob Sanders evokes the emotional tenor of a brotherly saga set during the fear-filled first decade of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In recreated voices, the hemophiliac Johnston brothers bear witness to the injustice and violence that compounded their suffering. Hard-hitting and heart-rending!"

—Carole Boston Weatherford, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre

 

"Blood Brothers is an astonishing book. A beautiful book. A necessary book. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. This gorgeously written novel-in-verse shows us the devastating consequences of hate, but more importantly, it teaches us the infinite power of love. The three “blood brothers” Charlie, Curtis, and Calvin have wedged themselves into my heart where they will live forever. This book has the power to change hearts, minds, and lives. I loved every word of it."

— Lesléa Newman, author of October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard 

 

"Blood Brothers captivated me from the very first sentence, "Charlie is the best at dying." This book will break your heart in all the right places and leave you a more compassionate human being."

— Shannon Hitchcock, author of Flying Over Water and One True Way

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