Bookverdict.com

Gr 8 Up—Told in first-person stanzas, Williams's novel in verse is gut-wrenching in its portrayal of a family that implodes under the strain of tragedy and loss. Since the death of her older brother nine months earlier, London Castle has felt like a pariah. Her father, a former missionary, spends most of his time in his church office, and her mother, who blames her for what happened to Zach, completely ignores her. No one at school, not even her former best friend, talks to her. Grief-stricken and alone, the teen is under...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

"I want more. / I want him back. / Why does death have to be so final?" wonders London in this stinging free-verse novel. Her family is splintering after the death of her older brother, Zach; her father is distant, and her mother, who blames London for what happened, ignores her completely. No one talks to her at school, either, until she meets gregarious Lili ("She runs / her mouth and never takes a breath, I don't think") and ...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

London's family is splintering after the death of her brother. The free-verse novel's poetic structure allows London's power...Log In or Sign Up to Read More