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If I Know It's Coming
Thirteen-year-old Tim Hansen lives in a quaint little neighborhood in South Minneapolis. For the most part, he leads a normal, preteen existence. He is concerned about friendships, girls, sports, and even schoolwork from time to time. But when his mother, who is a nurse in the United States Army Reserve, is deployed to Iraq, Tim’s relatively normal and happy existence gets flipped upside down. How will Tim cope without his mother? Will his family ever be the same? Middle school was unpredictable enough, but when Tim faces this sudden dose of mortality, the adventure is just beginning.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2012
52 people want to read
About the author
Nick Hupton
5 books15 followersNick Hupton received his BA from Gustavus Adolphus College in 1999 and his MA from Hamline University in 2008. He teaches high school English in Bloomington, Minnesota. If I Know It's Coming is Nick’s debut novel. He lives in Northfield, MN with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 1, 2014
Ok, this is cool. I started my teaching career with Nick Hupton in 1999. Now, he's still teaching (I'm sure even more skillfully and creatively than he was when we were 12) AND writing YA novels. I'm behind on the books, but I'm catching up; and I'm super excited to add them to my classroom library. This one is an important and relatable story about a MS boy whose mother has been deployed in Iraq. I think you should probably read it.
June 26, 2012
I am not a juvenile, but I found this book a delightful and compelling read. The characters & dialog believable and engaging—touching as well as funny!
I loved the fact that most of it take place in our neighborhood!
I loved the fact that most of it take place in our neighborhood!
June 25, 2012
Great book! The author really knows middle school kids.
August 9, 2012
The author does a great job of capturing the mindset of a teenage boy dealing with his mother going to Iraq. Timely and well done, bravo!
November 9, 2012
I've noticed recently that more and more books about military families and relationships have been published. There are so many people with family members, friends, and acquaintances in the military that we are all involved in one way or another. In If I Know It's Coming, we get to see how the life of one young teen and his family are affected when his mother, a nurse in the Army Reserve is called to duty.
I enjoyed reading this book and seeing this experience from a teenager's viewpoint. Tim is in the seventh grade, plays baseball, and just may have a crush on the daughter of his parents' friends, Nicole. The story begins with Tim's mother already in Iraq for several months. His father is there, but distracted and his sister is moody with random outbursts of anger. Tim's struggling with his mother's absence and when he tries to talk to his best friend Seth about it, he just doesn't understand. He brushes Tim's worries aside because he'd rather thing about sports or video games. How Tim navigates through these strained relationships are the major focus of the story.
If I Know It's Coming touches on many ideas. Why do people join the military? Why are our soldiers fighting in this war? What does it mean to have a sense of duty? How long will your military be in Iraq? What I appreciated most about the questions and how they were approached was that is wasn't in a preaching or judgmental tone. They were asked from a place of sincerity which I believe would allow for an open dialogue about these topics. It's not about right or wrong and should or should not. It is about this is how it is and how we respond to it, deal with it, and live with it as a reality.
This story does have a somber tone to it, but it is not all serious. There are moments of teenage awkwardness and humor that made this story endearing. While it is a middle-grade read, it is a book for teenagers, adults, and everyone in between. It would be a great book to read as a family. I enjoyed it and will recommend it again and again.
I enjoyed reading this book and seeing this experience from a teenager's viewpoint. Tim is in the seventh grade, plays baseball, and just may have a crush on the daughter of his parents' friends, Nicole. The story begins with Tim's mother already in Iraq for several months. His father is there, but distracted and his sister is moody with random outbursts of anger. Tim's struggling with his mother's absence and when he tries to talk to his best friend Seth about it, he just doesn't understand. He brushes Tim's worries aside because he'd rather thing about sports or video games. How Tim navigates through these strained relationships are the major focus of the story.
If I Know It's Coming touches on many ideas. Why do people join the military? Why are our soldiers fighting in this war? What does it mean to have a sense of duty? How long will your military be in Iraq? What I appreciated most about the questions and how they were approached was that is wasn't in a preaching or judgmental tone. They were asked from a place of sincerity which I believe would allow for an open dialogue about these topics. It's not about right or wrong and should or should not. It is about this is how it is and how we respond to it, deal with it, and live with it as a reality.
This story does have a somber tone to it, but it is not all serious. There are moments of teenage awkwardness and humor that made this story endearing. While it is a middle-grade read, it is a book for teenagers, adults, and everyone in between. It would be a great book to read as a family. I enjoyed it and will recommend it again and again.
October 12, 2012
This review can also be found at Books For YA!
If I Know It's Coming is a preteen contemporary novel about Tim Hansen, an ordinary middle school kid who loves to play baseball, and how he and his family's life changed when his mom, a nurse in the US Army Reserve, was deployed to Iraq.
I thought, at first, that this was going to be a heavy read for me but I was wrong. Tim welcomed me into their story with warmth and with such ease as if his just telling it to a close friend whom he didn't see in a long time. I instantly feel like I know them which makes it easier for me to understand what they are experiencing.
Every flashbacks that Tim recalled, showed how much he misses his mom and his normal life. I can't stop myself from feeling sad for him. Kids at that age shouldn't be burden with such problem. They shouldn't worry about their love ones being in the middle of a war.
But aside from feeling sorry for Tim, I also admired his character. His emotionally strong for his age and I think, he handled his problems quite well. He just needed someone to talk to and I'm glad Nicole was there for him. Indeed, hard times show you who your real friends are.
If I Know, It's Coming is not just about worrying about our love ones who are far away, it's more about finding our real friends who will stay with us even in the bad times, it's about the bond that keeps us as a family, and it's about the happy memories we shared with them.
It is very relatable. I highly recommend this to everyone!
If I Know It's Coming is a preteen contemporary novel about Tim Hansen, an ordinary middle school kid who loves to play baseball, and how he and his family's life changed when his mom, a nurse in the US Army Reserve, was deployed to Iraq.
I thought, at first, that this was going to be a heavy read for me but I was wrong. Tim welcomed me into their story with warmth and with such ease as if his just telling it to a close friend whom he didn't see in a long time. I instantly feel like I know them which makes it easier for me to understand what they are experiencing.
Every flashbacks that Tim recalled, showed how much he misses his mom and his normal life. I can't stop myself from feeling sad for him. Kids at that age shouldn't be burden with such problem. They shouldn't worry about their love ones being in the middle of a war.
But aside from feeling sorry for Tim, I also admired his character. His emotionally strong for his age and I think, he handled his problems quite well. He just needed someone to talk to and I'm glad Nicole was there for him. Indeed, hard times show you who your real friends are.
If I Know, It's Coming is not just about worrying about our love ones who are far away, it's more about finding our real friends who will stay with us even in the bad times, it's about the bond that keeps us as a family, and it's about the happy memories we shared with them.
It is very relatable. I highly recommend this to everyone!
November 10, 2012
I accepted reviewing this book because it was a very touchy subject and one that I was familiar with. Living in north Iraq; we are not as afraid and scared as the southern people are. But that doesn't mean that we are not scared for our loved ones when they go to the south. I loved reading this book and being able to feel what the situation is like for Americans.
Tim's life was pretty normal, up until the day his mum left for Iraq. Tim is getting more and more detached from his father, he doesn't even see his sister at home anymore. Everything is going downhill, and he can do nothing to stop it.
What will happen in Tim's life? Will he ever go back to being normal? Will he find a teenage love that will distract him? Find out much more when you read this intriguing, realistic story, If I Know It's Coming...
I liked this book a lot. It was different from everything I have read, since it described the situation very believably. I liked the author's style, it was simple and straight-forward. This book was touchy but adventurous, too. I loved the characters, specially Tim and Nicolle, the love interest.
This book is definitely thought -provoking and exhilarating. If you want to enjoy an interesting read, then If I Know It's Coming is the one!
Tim's life was pretty normal, up until the day his mum left for Iraq. Tim is getting more and more detached from his father, he doesn't even see his sister at home anymore. Everything is going downhill, and he can do nothing to stop it.
What will happen in Tim's life? Will he ever go back to being normal? Will he find a teenage love that will distract him? Find out much more when you read this intriguing, realistic story, If I Know It's Coming...
I liked this book a lot. It was different from everything I have read, since it described the situation very believably. I liked the author's style, it was simple and straight-forward. This book was touchy but adventurous, too. I loved the characters, specially Tim and Nicolle, the love interest.
This book is definitely thought -provoking and exhilarating. If you want to enjoy an interesting read, then If I Know It's Coming is the one!
November 3, 2014
Won this book in a Goodreads giveaway! So pertinent for today, well-written in middle-school language, highly recommended for young guys and girls, also would be a great family read;looks at life through the eyes of Tim, a 7th-grader whose mother is deployed as a Army nurse in Iraq and his struggle (and his family's) with the same! Superior read!
July 11, 2012
I really liked the book! Once I started I found it hard to put down!
January 29, 2022
Hilarious read loved part when he was haunted
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews