My New Year's resolution: I'm moving on from everything that's happened. I'm not going to talk about it, think about it, let the memory pounce upon me like a waiting tiger, nothing.
All Sophie wants to do is forget. But it's not easy now that everything's changed. The house feels too big, school drags on for too long, lights are too bright, the room spins, and her hands get sweaty for no reason. And she can't remember why she was ever best friends with Abigail, who is obsessed with parties and boys. Only the new girl, Rosa-Leigh, with her prose poems and utter confidence, might understand. But talking to her seems impossible.
Lost in memories of the life she once had, Sophie retreats into herself. But there's only so long she can keep everything bottled up inside before she explodes. Maybe by confronting the tragedy of her past she'll figure out how to fix her future.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 UpSophie, 16, begins her second semester of high school feeling isolated and out of sync with her fellow British classmates. After witnessing the death of her older sister in a train bombing, she finds school pointless, her mother useless, and her friends a waste of time. Sophie begins to skip classes and leave early from parties only to become absorbed in memories of Emily. She is helped by a new student from Canada, who challenges her to write poetry, read books, and attend poetry slams. Despite anxiety attacks and overwhelming feelings of guilt, Sophie eventually saves herself through her journal entries and her words. The entire book is a series of journal entries as the protagonist describes life without her sister. Kuipers allows readers to gauge Sophie's feelings through her innermost thoughts and reactions to daily events. The teen's vocabulary and diction make the novel an easy read, great for reluctant or struggling readers. Touching and realistic.Mary-Brook J. Todd, The Ensworth School, Nashville, TN
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Review
This novel is gorgeous, heart-ripping, important. (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review) )
Kuipers artfully manages to make Sophie's tale achingly real and yet still hopeful. Her distinct, firstperson voice and quirky details shine through the dark tragedy, giving familiar themes a fresh take. (Kirkus Reviews )
Touching and realistic. (School Library Journal )
The emotional portraits of Sophie and those around her ring true. (Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books )
Kuipers's...delicately details the complexities of the grief process. (Publishers Weekly )