Jenn Bishop

There is so much that 12-year-old Drew can’t say.

He can’t ask his mom why, three years ago, his seemingly happy father killed himself. He can’t ask her why an old friend of hers, Phil, has suddenly shown up on his motorcycle and completely disrupted Drew’s life or whether or not, as he’s begun to suspect, that man is his real father. He can’t quite bring himself to tell prickly Audrey, the new helper at the library where he volunteers all summer, that he’s starting to really like her. And he can’t tell his best friend, Filipe, any of the things that are really on his mind. Perhaps the biggest thing he can’t communicate is that he’s terrified that whatever was wrong with his father could be haunting his future, too. In this believable, character-driven exploration of the long-lasting shadow suicide casts, Bishop imbues Drew, his loving mother, and Audrey with just enough insight to make their efforts to support each other fully believable. Drew’s emerging anger with his father is both poignant and tragically appropriate. Drew’s present-tense narration is candid and vulnerable, offering readers both mirrors for and windows to this particular, very difficult experience. The cast defaults to white. An author’s note discusses suicide and, together with an appended list of resources, offers direction for readers in search of support; in the acknowledgments, Bishop briefly describes her research.

A thoughtful examination of the slow, uneven recovery that follows a devastating loss. (Fiction. 10-14)

-Kirkus Review… (mais)

This book has a disappointing beginning. There is too much that is unexplained. The chapters alternate between last summer and this summer. Once the book gets moving, this works well, but in the beginning it creates confusion.

The first chapter starts off in the present with Quinnen and her father going to pick up the minor league baseball player who will be living with them for the summer. The second chapter jumps to the past and sets up the best friend relationship between Quinnen and her older sister, Haley. This jumping around before I was invested in the story almost caused me to abandon the book. Since the book is short and I love the dual theme of grief and sports, I pushed on. Eventually, I was on board and sped through to the end.

The gist of the past is that Haley gets a boyfriend and doesn't want to spend as much time with Quinnen anymore. Quinnen is jealous of the boyfriend and ends up doing something stupid to sabotage the relationship. Meanwhile, she is the starting pitcher for the summer baseball team and loves going to her town's minor league games.

The gist of the present is that Quinnen no longer plays baseball. She can't bear the thought of playing without her sister there to watch. She still attends the minor league games to cheer on her favorite players. Two players help her come to terms with her sister's death. Hector teaches her that you have to face your fear and get back in the game. Brandon teaches her that sometimes the ones who annoy you the most are the ones you will miss the most.

At the end of last summer, Haley dies, which sets up the alternating chapters of the summer before her death and the summer after. I'm getting this book because both themes will be popular with girls, especially those who play sports.… (mais)