Geoff Herbach

Geoff Herbach writes teen fiction distinguished by comic first-person voices, family pressure, and characters learning to see beyond their own crises. Nothing Special is Felton Reinstein’s second novel, following Stupid Fast and preceding I’m with Stupid. Felton, newly recognized for his athletic ability, narrates a period in which his younger brother Andrew disappears and a trip south forces family relationships into view. Sourcebooks Fire issued it in 2012. It received the Minnesota Book Award for Young People’s Literature, while Stupid Fast earned a Cybils Award. Herbach has taught creative writing at Minnesota State University, Mankato, and worked in comedy. Nothing Special lets Felton’s frantic humor carry a serious story about attention, forgiveness, and responsibility. His increasingly honest comic self-dramatizing gradually gives way to a clearer understanding of his brother and himself.