From You to Me - Hardcover

Holt, K. A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1338193309 ISBN 13: 9781338193305

Publisher: Scholastic Press, 2018

Synopsis

Amelia Peabody lives in a small town where nothing changes. And that's just fine by her. After losing her big sister, Clara, a few years ago, Amelia can't handle any more change. But when she starts eighth grade, she accidentally receives a letter that Clara had written to herself. In it, there's a list of things she'd wanted to do before the end of middle school and never finished, like get on the softball team and throw an awesome birthday party on the lake.

Amelia wonders if it's a sign from Clara. Maybe if she completed the list, her heart would stop hurting so much, and she could go back to being her old self. But as she makes her way through, Amelia finds that there's no going back, only forward. And she realizes she'll have to put her own spin on Clara's list to grow and change in the ways she needs to.

K. A. Holt's beautiful new novel is about grieving and growing up, and the ripples loss creates for a girl, a family, and a community.

About this title

About the Author

K. A. Holt is the author of several middle-grade novels in verse, including House Arrest, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year 2015, and Rhyme Schemer, an Amazon Best Book for Kids and Teens, and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. She lives in Austin, Texas.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5–8—In the three years since her older sister Clara drowned in the town lake, everyone in Amelia's life seems to have coped and moved forward. Despite caring parents and a patient BFF Taylor, Amelia still feels isolated and adrift. A school mix-up provides her with a catalyst for change when Amelia is mistakenly given Clara's eighth grade to-do list instead of the one Amelia wrote for herself. Amelia's mission to overcome her own sadness by completing her sister's list provides the novel's structure; what Amelia learns about herself, her family, and her community provide the novel's heart. The list leads Amelia to reach out to Twitch, a boy who knew Clara well and whose easygoing demeanor masks heartaches of his own. Taylor and Twitch are compelling supporting characters: Taylor is an ideal friend without being idealized. But it's Twitch readers will remember for his modest courage, sharing with Amelia his perspective on coping with adversity: "We are all whiteboards that can be covered in terrible words, erased and re-covered in better words." In an economical use of language, Holt paints an authentic portrait of what it's like to live in a small town. VERDICT More than a recovery-from-grief story, this is also a powerful coming-of-age novel. Readers will be moved and inspired. A great addition to middle grade and middle school collections.—Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

About this edition

• Publisher: Scholastic Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1338193309
• ISBN 13: 9781338193305
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208