When I saw another blogger post an early review of this book, I rushed to track down a copy for myself. I loved Liar & Spy and When You Reach Me and this book certainly lived up to my expectations of Newbery Medal winning author, Rebecca Stead.
I was immediately sucked in by the middle school friendships and burgeoning relationship dramas in this story. The main character, Bridge, is a 7th grader who had been in a horrific, life threatening accident when she was 8. This experience has led her to contemplate the meaning of life – and her life in particular – much more than the typical 7th grader might. The story centers around Bridge and her two best friends, Tab and Emily. There’s lots of the typical middle school stuff covered – selfies, liking boys, staying friends when your interests start to diverge, divorced parents – but this story takes it a few layers deeper. It’s about knowing who you are and who you want to be and who others think you should be at different moments. This would be a great read for a Mother-Daughter book club or group of middle school friends to be able to talk more freely about some of their big life questions. I recommend this for middle school kids who like quality realistic fiction stories that make you think.
This book is available on August 4, 2015. Add your review on Bookopolis.com
