The Half-Life of Planets

Liana makes a pact with herself not to kiss any boys during the summer. She's kissed several boys in the past, but then run from them all. Instead, she's going to focus on herself. She wants to understand why she can't talk to boys. Hank knows about music; he lives for music. He works at a music store and has his eye on a special guitar. Hank is also different - he has Asperger's syndrome. It's hard for him to have conversations with people because he doesn't understand social clues. Liana and Hank meet randomly in a girls' bathroom. Immediately, they connect. They can't stop talking and neither wants to leave the conversation. They meet up again at a coffee shop. Liana just wants a friend, someone normal she can count on. Hank wants to date Liana. He's never had a girlfriend. Eventually, they share secrets and their dreams. Can they get past their differences? Asperger's syndrome isn't the main focus of the story, but it adds a serious tone to this tale that is told in alternating perspectives. With THE HALF-LIFE OF PLANETS, Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin pen a winning novel of friendship, romance, and discovering yourself. Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

"We all shine on, like the sun, the moon and the stars." -- John Lennon from "Instant Karma," 1970 Liana Planet, 17, aptly named as she is an aspiring astronomer, has a meteoric encounter with Hank, also 17 in a hospital ladies' restroom. Liana's father, whom all believe is a hypochondriac is there for testing. Hank's older brother is also a patient recovering from injuries sustained in an accident. A wannabe Lothario, Hank's older brother hits on the nurses until one agrees to date him after he is discharged. Hank tells Liana that he was named after Hank Williams Sr. and Hank Williams III, the country singers. He is no fan of Hank Williams Jr. and clings to this story even after his brother and mother tell him and Liana he was not named in honor of the country music family. A bright boy with Asperger's, which is the spectrum partner to autism, Hank is also a gifted guitarist and music as well as maps, trains and atlases are his special interests. He is also a Beatles' fan who insists on using the formal title of "Mother" as a nod to John Lennon. Hank's mother feels that title makes her sound older than 42. Fortunately, Hank has a good job at a music store and a kind boss who understands him and gives him a place to shine. Liana is suffering from the trauma of being branded a slut by some unkind classmates who leave a one-word note in her locker. She keeps it with her as a painful reminder. She also has a kissing addiction and has kissed several boys at her school, the fictional Melville West in Melville, L.I., New York. Liana tries to disabuse her peers of their misperception of her by vowing not to kiss a single boy that summer. Meanwhile, Hank is coping with his boorish brother, angry single mother and navigating tricky social terrain with Liana. Finally, these two comets, known for their bizarre orbits collide. Rather, over time the two become more like a double star, appearing in the same line of light, yet separate and distinct. Hank shares one secret with Liana - he has Asperger's. He even explains what this neurobiological condition means to him. In a show of good faith, Liana shares her secret with Hank. At 3, she lost an older sister who died at age 7. She even shows Hank her sister's picture. The two bond, yet Liana feels betrayed when she learns that Hank's father is dead and that he never voluntarily disclosed that. This throws a meteoric curve into their relationship and Hank fears they will spin out of control. Luckily, they resolve the matter and Liana unwittingly helps Hank develop his social skills. Hank gives Liana a gift that does have overtones of Asperger's. He creates a list of recordings with a theme few outside of his scholarly knowledge of music know. He chooses songs that feature a singer who has done back up for many popular artists, but whose name is not as well known. On the other hand, that same gift is tailored with Liana in mind. He picks songs that he feels are representative of

I liked the two main characters a lot and found their voices in the alternating chapters were distinct. (I just read Rick Riordan's Red Pyramid which had the same device but the boy's and girl's voices were interchangeable.) I can't speak to the authenticity of the depiction of Asperger's, but that character had a lot to say that applies to most teens (and adults) in relationships in terms of uncertainty and hopefulness. He is both afraid of kissing the new girl in his life, afraid of not kissing her, and overall, afraid of change. He refers to the kids at school who make fun of him as "those who enforce the code of conformity," which is exactly right. Both protagonists have believable problems, strengths, and weaknesses, and a lot to say. As some reviews have pointed out, the book has more dialogue and character development than action but I found enough action and romance to keep me deeply involved. It's original, charming, and romantic in the best sense of the word.

I teach 8th grade and I work in an area with a high Asperger's population. This book nailed it perfectly. Each chapter alternates between Lianna's point of view and Hank's point of view. Where this book really shines is in Hank's thought process, he's constantly going back to the strategies his school councilor has given him to handle conversations and social interactions. Hank is a teenage boy and thinks about all the things teenage boys do but his wording and thought process is both funny and realistic. Best of all, the narrators are intelligent. They sound and think like intelligent teens, not like they were written by a writer who thinks that would a smart teenager should sound like. The overall plot of the story is wonderful too. Lianna meets Hank in the woman's room of a hospital. He has a wet stain on his crotch and doesn't know how to handle the situation, Lianna steps in and helps out. Hank is in the hospital because he's older brother needs knee surgery. His older bother has "magical" abilities to talk to girls and get them to do whatever he wants. While it's not real magic, this whole process mystifies Hank. Lianna's father is in the hospital for tests, which she never takes seriously. Lianna has a kissing problem and once she kisses a boy she runs away forever from him. Over the course of the summer Hank and Lianna share their family secrets and discover they have more in common then they thought. When Hank come forward with the truth that he has Asperger's, will that change their relationship? Will Lianna run away like she does with every guy she kisses? This story is a wonderful blend of realistic, funny, heartwarming and heartbreaking. It was by far the best book I've read all in 2010.