Wordy Girls

So, I realized recently that I've mentioned several awards lists that Susan Taylor Brown's Hugging the Rock has made lately, but I've never said much about the book itself.

I love this middle grade novel in verse.  When Susan was working on it in our critique group, it was so powerful, so affecting.  The poems are easily accessible and yet deeply moving. Rachel's mother, who we later realize has bipolar, abandons the family, and Rachel must forge some kind of relationship with her unemotional (rocklike) father.  But this is not a "lesson" novel, it's all about Rachel.  It's her story, her reality of coming to grips with her mother's leaving.  It's how she deals with it with her father, with her best friend, and with herself.  And with her mom, too.

Here's an excerpt from one poem:

 

Susan really gets inside a kid's head for these poems and the voice feels so authentic.

I have family members with bipolar and other brain disorders, so this book has special weight for me.  But really, I forget all of that when I read it.  Instead, I'm caught up in Rachel's head, with my stomach twisting as she works to move on.  I both cry and cheer for her and her family.

It's a terrific book for kids dealing with family issues, of course, but more importantly, it's just a gripping read.  Pick this up and treat yourself to an afternoon in the hammock with a cold drink and a great book.

Hugging the Rock also made the NCTE notables list.  That's 3 big lists for this book already.  Way to go, Susan!

Woohoo!  Susan's book Hugging the Rock has been named to VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers list.  Check it out here.  Congratulations, Susan!