My Brother's Shadow

July 21, 2014
Just over a year ago, 11-year-old Kaia White found her older brother, Moses, dead, and her life has been a “hazy, jagged dream” ever since. Kaia has stopped doing her homework, pushed her friends away, been taunted at school for her distant behavior, and been neglected by her Mum, who loses her job and drinks. Worry consumes Kaia until an unnamed, wild boy appears at school in “dirty, raggedy clothes”; he darts around and speaks only in animal sounds. Despite the fact that the boy never speaks to Kaia, he provides a needed distraction, shaking Kaia out of her “frozen stuck” mind-set and becoming her nonjudgmental confidante and amusing companion. Kaia’s road to recovery is paved with a strong interest in trees, a resilient ex-friend, and Moses’s remembered “Rules for life” (“Memories are like a cup of tea—don’t hold them too tight”). British author Avery (Too Much Trouble) immerses readers in Kaia’s heavy thoughts and dreamlike, trapped state. Her confessional narration and self-aware observations yield a believable and haunting portrait of grief. Ages 9–12.

July 15, 2014
A gritty middle-grade story about suicide's aftermath.It has been a year since 11-year-old Kaia's older brother, Moses, killed himself by slitting his wrists. It was Kaia who found him, and since that day she has been "frozen," unable to move forward in her life-until she sees a mysterious, ragged boy in her school. The boy doesn't speak, but he and Kaia become friends anyway, and he gradually leads her back to growth. With Kaia's first-person narration, Avery paints an uncomfortable portrait of a child overcome by trauma, existing almost wholly within her damaged psyche. Readers may wonder at Kaia's lack of external support-her mother is drinking herself into oblivion, her teacher exhibits not empathy but impatience, and her former friends ignore or bully her. Another off-key note is Kaia's lack of anger toward Moses, who visits her in the guise of an angel. She seems to accept his suicide even as she can't process it. It's hard to tell whether the author is underscoring Kaia's loose grip on reality or whether these are plot-credibility issues-the answer probably lies with individual readers. However, by the end of the story, everything wraps up pat, undercutting the story's realism but providing welcome relief.Save this disquieting tale for sophisticated readers who have a high tolerance for both ambiguity and distress. (Fiction. 10-13)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 6-9-Kaia is frozen. She has been this way since she found her older brother Moses dead in his bedroom. Her former friends think she's a "freak," her teachers think she's not applying herself, and her mother is frozen herself, stuck in a vicious cycle of despair. Then one day, a wild, silent boy appears at Kaia's school, and she finds someone to whom she can finally relate and open up. This poignant tale of loss and the attempts at closure is poetically recorded, each chapter revealing a bit of the strife that Kaia battles as she struggles to exist in school, to hold on to herself, and to find her way back to the girl she was before her horrendous tragedy. The novel is peppered with Kaia's "Rules for Life," little mantras that slowly evolve and help her to heal as she grows and learns to cope. As the layers of ice she has encased herself in begin to crack, the remarkable girl slowly begins to blossom and she is able to find hope. Avery creates an impressive account of tragedy, and his gentle, melancholic prose establishes the perfect tone for his tale of despair and renewal. Fans of realistic fiction, especially dealing with emotionally jarring, disturbing events, will surely devour Avery's latest.-Ellen Norton, White Oak Library District, Crest Hill, IL

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2014
Grades 4-7 Ever since Kaia found her older brother dead at home, she has been frozen. So has her mother, though she's since found comfort in a bottle. Kaia lost everythingher brother and mother (who she adored), her friends (who now think she's a freak), her teachers (who think she's not trying), and her smile (which her mother used to say was lovely). One day, a wild, gray-eyed, raggedy-clothed boy appears at school. He howls, growls, and leaps around the room, but he never speaks. Kaia is drawn to him, and she is the only person who wonders about his origins. It is with this boy that Kaia feels comfortable enough to open up, thus beginning to work through her deep grief and crack the ice that constricts her. Closure for Kaia remains difficult but perhaps now not insurmountable. Uncomplicated yet potent storytelling renders this an acutely heart-wrenching tale of despondency and renewal in a fresh manner. Readers who love stories of overcoming personal struggles and emotional strife will eat this up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)