Split by Swati Avasthi

Split by Swati Avasthi begins when Jace finally escapes his abusive father and ends up half way across the country, knocking on his brother's apartment door.  Christian had escaped the abuse six years earlier and is shocked to see Jace.  Both are still terrified and angry at their father, but deal with it in different ways.  And, Jace has a secret he's trying to cope with which links him to his father more than he's ready to accept.  This story is about Jace and Christian coming to terms with what happened to them and their own, separate decisions to get out.  It's also about both brothers starting new lives on their own and finding ways to deal with their pasts.

This was a very powerful story.  I really liked the way the author described how difficult it was for their mother to leave and the things the boys did to try to convince her.  I also liked the way Christian became a mentor to Jace, teaching him a new way to deal with his anger and frustration - running.  Even though this story was about something terrible, the ending was positive and happy.

A Small White Scar by K. A. Nuzum

A Small White Scar by K. A. Nuzum is about Will and Denny, twins who aren't exactly the same. While Will was born a typical boy, Denny was born with Downs Syndrome. They live on a ranch with their father, but since their mother's death, Will has had to take over caring for Denny. Instead of working the ranch with his father and the other ranch hands, Will finds himself constantly drawn away from what he's doing by Denny. Will feels trapped - like he's growing into a man, but Denny is still a boy. He desperately wants to get away from his life on the ranch, so he makes a plan to travel 40 miles away to the rodeo. Will knows he's good enough to compete and even win, and he's hoping someone will notice his skills and hire him to work on a ranch far away from his own. Unfortunately, the day he tries to make his escape, Denny follows him! Despite being bitten by a rattle snake, having to cross a dangerously fast moving river, and Will's anger, Denny continues to follow. When he sees that the snake bite is infected, Will takes Denny to the only local doctor - a friend of their fathers. He leaves Denny in the care of the doctor, knowing their father will come for them soon, and heads out for the rodeo. Suddenly things take a turn for the better for Will - he's doing extremely well in the rodeo and people are taking notice of him! It seems like all of his dreams are about to come true. And then....

This was a really moving story. It reminded me a bit of Of Mice and Men and a bit of The Scarlet Ibis. I loved seeing the way the boys' relationship developed over the years, and the changes that began to happen as they matured separately. I also really liked the descriptions of the rodeo and events there. I've never seen a rodeo and had no idea of the skill it takes to compete. Excellent book!