You Go First - Y/A novel: 2 Outsiders Connect on the Internet Playing Scrabble - I Gobbled it Up

YOU GO FIRST by Erin Estrada Kelly is a first rate coming of age novel.  It's timely, universal &  delivers a welcomed message for those who feel they don't fit in.  The inspirational tale is when you feel lonely or despondent, try being observant and open & you'll be more than likely to find someone to befriend.  Many pre-teen & high school stories deal with feelings of awkwardness, alienation and the cruelty systemic within the pains of growing up.  YOU GO FIRST is a delightful read for young and old alike.  The story is told by 12 year old Charlotte and 12 year old Ben.  The two have found each other on the internet in an ongoing game of Scrabble.  Charlotte thinks of herself as the girl from the puzzle who doesn't fit in anywhere.  Her one friend Bridgette whom she thought she'd be best friends forever has harshly abandoned her to join a popular clique.  Charlotte is a prodigy with an insatiable interest in science & information.  Her consuming pursuit of knowledge has a down side - sending her down a rabbit hole; internalizing information & dissociating her from the present.  Ben also possesses a brilliant & precocious mind but his preoccupation on the internet & with his studies pushes him into an unpopular social stratosphere.  Charlotte is internalizing the pain of her father's recent heart attack.  Ben's world is upheavaled by the shocking announcement of his parents divorce.  He never saw that one coming.  Neither Charlotte or Ben have siblings or a friend in which to seek solace.  Charlotte feels the hurt of being an outcast.  She tells herself, life is difficult for lone wolves but their self-reliance often makes them stronger than average.  Ben is constantly being humiliated at school but "he would not be defeated.  He would not relinquish control over his own emotional well-being."  These two characters are irresistible & indefatigable.  You can't help rooting for them.   Ben realizes "our language has devolved in recent years because we rely too much on digital devices to communicate, like social media and phones."  Ben yearns to connect.  When the two decide to speak via telephone they still withhold their inner turmoils.  "He only knew that he wanted to say something to somebody about something."  It's not giving anything away to say these two who felt friendless and that their worlds were crumbling find themselves coming up from their devolving dark holes into the warm sunshine.  Kelly is a skillful award winning author.  Her novel HELLO UNIVERSE received the Newberry Medal & her short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize.  YOU GO FIRST is a rewarding read.  "Scrabble is both strategy and luck.  If you know how to use what you're dealt, you can triumph."