Spotlight on 37 THINGS I LOVE (In no particular order) by Kekla Magoon!

Kekla Magoon and I share an agent (Michelle Humphrey). I've been working with Michelle on a non-fiction book about writing grief in fiction lately, and so she sent me a copy of 37 Things I Love, telling me I have to read it. I'm so, so glad she did! What a wonderful look not only at unusual grief, but also at complicated friendships and complicated love. I'm so glad to have read this book and will think of it for a long time to come.

Here's a little more about the book...

Ellis only has four days of her sophomore year left, and summer is so close that she can almost taste it. But even with vacation just within reach, Ellis isn’t exactly relaxed. Her father has been in a coma for years, the result of a construction accident, and her already-fragile relationship with her mother is strained over whether or not to remove him from life support. Her best friend fails even to notice that anything is wrong and Ellis feels like her world is falling apart. But when all seems bleak, Ellis finds comfort in the most unexpected places.

Life goes on, but in those four fleeting days friends are lost and found, promises are made, and Ellis realizes that nothing will ever quite be the same.

Here's what early reviews have been saying...

 

“Magoon (Camo Girl) gently but unflinchingly explores difficult adolescent territory in this intelligent, affecting novel.”—Publishers Weekly

“…coming of age, death, hope, love—and Ellis is a character to care about and cheer on for a long, long time.”—Horn Book

"...[a] powerful outing from a rising star."—Kirkus

Pick up your own copy of this wonderful book at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or at your favorite independent bookstore.