A review by lauriehnatiuk
The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga
5.0
Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publishers Balzer and Bray for an eARC copy of this book.
After reading Other Words for Home, I knew I would be reading any book written by Jasmine Warga regardless of the topic. The Shape of Thunder is another book, that when released and those fortunate to get an eARC, will be talking about because Jasmine Warga dares to go where no one has gone before.
School shootings are scary, real and happen not just in high schools, but those stories did not exist until The Shape of Thunder. Told in alternating voice Cora and Quinn, we get a glimpse into what two middle-school best friends go through after a school shooting. One lost a sister, one lost a brother. One was a victim, and one was the shooter. Now the two are trying to deal with the aftermath but no longer speaking to one another. One is trying to move ahead, and one is trying to fix the past. Despite the traumatic loss, the two do come together to forge ahead to right the wrongs and bring healing and hope to their families and themselves.
The Shape of Thunder is a book to be shared in classrooms to address and discuss privilege, racism, school shootings, and so much more. Topics like this are too often swept under the rug and pretended it never existed. Powerful, current and relevant, Ms. Warga once again has left us with lots to think about and left us with characters imprinted on our hearts.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Gr6+
After reading Other Words for Home, I knew I would be reading any book written by Jasmine Warga regardless of the topic. The Shape of Thunder is another book, that when released and those fortunate to get an eARC, will be talking about because Jasmine Warga dares to go where no one has gone before.
School shootings are scary, real and happen not just in high schools, but those stories did not exist until The Shape of Thunder. Told in alternating voice Cora and Quinn, we get a glimpse into what two middle-school best friends go through after a school shooting. One lost a sister, one lost a brother. One was a victim, and one was the shooter. Now the two are trying to deal with the aftermath but no longer speaking to one another. One is trying to move ahead, and one is trying to fix the past. Despite the traumatic loss, the two do come together to forge ahead to right the wrongs and bring healing and hope to their families and themselves.
The Shape of Thunder is a book to be shared in classrooms to address and discuss privilege, racism, school shootings, and so much more. Topics like this are too often swept under the rug and pretended it never existed. Powerful, current and relevant, Ms. Warga once again has left us with lots to think about and left us with characters imprinted on our hearts.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Gr6+