YA Modern Fiction

I am trying to remember the name of a YA novel that should be less than 20 years old and I associate with the authors Markus Zusak (The Book Thief) and Rodman Philbrick (The Last Book in the Universe), but its not them. I cant recall if I read it originally around the early-mid 2000s or if it wasn't until the last 5 years that I read it. But based on the writing style, cover, and story, I think it was written around the same time as the novels I mentioned above.

What I think I recall is something about 2 young boys, a crime, a notebook, and speaking through code via blinking. I think that one of the boys may be paralyzed and may have witness the crime while the other boy is currently being blamed for it. And it is only after the paralyzed boy is able to learn to speak through blinking that things are settled/the story moves on. I also think that the author of this book may have a last name that falls between F and L based on where I remember it being on the shelves (but don't hold me to it).

Older than your timeline, but some elements are similar and the alphabet range is right:

Silent to the Bone by E. L. Konigsberg

sparemethecensor

Thank You For That Is It!
The edition I read was the original 2000 hardcover.

Excellent! I also read the original 2000 hardcover at the library, probably around 2003. So glad you found it!