Author: Courtne Comrie
Genre: verse novel/realistic fiction
Similar books: Anger is a Gift by Mark Oshiro
All the Broken Pieces by Ann E Burg
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Rain is keeping a big secret from everyone around her: She's sad. All the time. Rain struggles with her image and feels inferior to her best friend, Nara. Not even her all-star student-athlete big brother (and personal superhero), Xander, can help Rain with her dark thoughts and low self-esteem.
And when Xander becomes the victim of violence at a predominantly white university, Rain’s life and mind take a turn for the worse. But when her favorite teacher, Miss Walia, invites her to an after-school circle group, Rain finds the courage to help herself and her family heal.
Like the rain, she is both gentle and a force, finding strength to rise again.
My opinion: This is a solid plot to explore in the verse novel format. While plenty happens in the book, the primary driver of the plot is emotional growth and the acknowledgement of mental illness. We want, then, more time spent reflecting than in the details of action. Plus, the events of the book are pretty harrowing. Since we are never in the moment, since all of the events are filtered through the lens of Rain's reactions, we have a little distance to keep it from becoming too intense for young readers.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
No comments:
Post a Comment