Summer Book 11

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

I am fairly certain that this was on the TAYSHAS list sometime in the past couple of years, and I didn't read it because I was put off by the title. I thought it was going to be about snakes, which is not outside the realm of possibility for TAYSHAS. I mean, there was that grasshopper book that made it a couple of years ago. Perhaps if I had noticed that it was by the same author that wrote The Goodbye Days, I would've given it a chance, but I didn't notice that. So what made me read it now, on my Kindle, while I have 20+ books stacked on my coffee table? I was at a training this week where the presenter was Amy Rassmussen, one of the authors of the Three Teachers Talk blog that I follow. I was to only one in the room who'd read The Goodbye Days, so she asked if I read this. It came highly recommended, so I downloaded it after I finished the book I was working on earlier this week. Having finished, I am glad I took the time to read this.

Dill is a bit of a pariah in his town. His grandfather was the original Serpent King because he used to kill every snake he came across, and wear their skins and heads. His father was a pastor who used snakes and poison in his ministry, but who is currently serving time in prison for having child porn on his computer. Many people, including Dill's mother, feel that his dad is in prison because of him. Because his father is in prison, there are a lot of debts, and Dill is expected to work to help pay them off, which means no college for him. Dill has two very good friends, Lydia and Travis.

Travis went to the same church as Dill, after his father went to prison, and that is how they became friends. Travis' dad is a certifiable asshole. Travis had an older brother, but he was a Marine who died in Afghanistan, which only made things harder for Travis. Travis was into fantasy novels, and worked at the lumberyard. He didn't plan to leave their small town either.

Lydia's circumstances were a bit different. Her parents were a bit more well off, so she could actually leave their small town in Tennessee. She had a blog, and knew important people in the industry wanted to work in. She is leaving and going to NYU after she graduates.

This is told by all three of the teens, and you feel what each of these characters feel. They are very real, and deal with real issues. I know I have glossed over a lot, but I am afraid I will give away important plot points, and you know I don't want to do that. This one is so worth your time. At times it will make you laugh, at others, it will break your heart.