Ollie, who has seizures when near electricity, lives in a backwoods cabin with his mother and rarely sees other people, and Moritz, born with no eyes and a heart defect that requires a pacemaker, is bullied at his high school, but when a physician who knows both suggests they begin corresponding, they form a strong bond that may get them through dark times. - (Baker & Taylor)

Ollie, who suffers from seizures when near electricity, and Moritz, who has no eyes and a heart defect that requires a pacemaker, live in relative isolation but form a bond through correspondence that may get them through dark times. - (Baker & Taylor)

Ollie, a boy who experiences seizures if he comes in contact with electricity, and Moritz, whose weak heart is powered by an electric pacemaker, forge an unlikely friendship through letters sent from their respective world regions. A first novel. - (Baker & Taylor)

In a stunning literary debut, two boys on opposite ends of the world begin an unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.

A William C. Morris YA Debut Award finalist
A Carnegie Award nominee

Ollie and Moritz are best friends, but they can never meet. Ollie has a life-threatening allergy to electricity, and Moritz's weak heart requires a pacemaker. If they ever did meet, they could both die. Living as recluses from society, the boys develop a fierce bond through letters that become a lifeline during dark times--as Ollie loses his only friend, Liz, to the normalcy of high school and Moritz deals with a bully set on destroying him. But when Moritz reveals the key to their shared, sinister past that began years ago in a mysterious German laboratory, their friendship faces a test neither one of them expected.

Narrated in letter form by Ollie and Moritz--two extraordinary new voices--this story of impossible friendship and hope under strange circumstances blends elements of science fiction with coming of age themes, in a humorous, dark, and ultimately inspiring tale is completely unforgettable.

Leah Thomas frequently loses battles of wits against her students and her stories. When she's not huddled in cafes, she's usually at home pricking her fingers in service of cosplay. Leah lives in San Diego, California, and Because You'll Never Meet Me is her debut novel. Follow her on Twitter @blunderkinder - (McMillan Palgrave)

Booklist Reviews

Ollie, 14, lives sequestered with his mother in an A-frame house in the woods of northern Michigan. He can see the colors and shapes of the electricity to which he is allergic. Moritz, a 16-year-old who lives in Germany, has no eyes but can see through superecholocation. He also requires a pacemaker, which means he and Ollie can never meet. Ollie lives in an overprotected world, while Moritz goes to school and is bullied. Both boys need a friend, and through a pen pal relationship, they find the strength to go on. Their disparate lives open up worlds the other can't imagine, yet they share a dark common secret. Thomas' debut novel tells the stories of these two characters through alternating letters. The solitude and blank-page potential inherent to letter writing foster the ability to examine oneself in a way no other means of communication allows. Although it may be considered sci-fi, the humanness of the boys comes across as nothing short of real. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.