The Shape of Thunder Paperback – May 3, 2022

I purchased this book for my daughter, who is 18, for school. She’s studying to be a teacher and they are doing an analysis of it. The book is geared towards younger children. It arrived timely, and the book was in perfect condition. No odd odors, and the binding was not creased. I would recommend buying this book as it arrived in perfect condition! A+

I read this book for my book club. It's a good book about what's unfortunately becoming more "normal" for school children. We always feel for the families of those taken by gun violence but what about the families of the one who took the lives? This book looks at that POV as well.

I really enjoyed this middle grade story about a lifelong friendship that we aren't sure will make it through to the other side after a tragedy takes away peop!e they love. Great read!

Read this with my 10yo son. Great characters, important themes about death and friendship. It would make a fantastic play!

My daughter liked this book but also said it was a little stressful. :(

I was looking forward to Jasmine Warga's latest, having very much enjoyed Other Words for Home, and suspected I would like The Shape of Thunder. "Like" barely covers it. This book is one of the best realistic fiction novel for middle grade audiences that I've ever read, and a brilliant depiction of tragedy and how to deal with it. I've enjoyed many other books in this genre, but Warga handles so much of this story with unusual expertise. For one, the structure: Setting it a tiny bit less than a year from the tragedy that's at the core of the story shows us how some people have moved on (most of the community), but not Quinn, the sister of the shooter, or Cora, the sister of one of his victims. Both are struggling with very real emotions: grief, loneliness, and love for someone who isn't around any more. The other people in their households are trying to move on, but with varying levels of success, and their efforts aren't helping either girl. Quinn, who not only feels tremendous guilt for what her brother did, desperately misses Cora, her former best friend. And Quinn has a secret—something she saw—that makes her guilt even heavier. Cora, meanwhile, just can't let go, and has kept her sister's part of the room they shared exactly as it was before she died. Quinn's plan to use time travel to find both their siblings and somehow stop what happened feels quite real, given the personalities of each girl. And that turns into part of the ongoing tragedy.This may sound like a very difficult read, but it's not at all, and therein lies more of Warga's skill. Each girl has people around her who care about her and want to help. Nearly every adult is warm, and most of the kid characters are supportive too. And yet even though this warmth, adults make mistakes. Warga shows that clearly. The adults in her book are fully-formed characters with their own story arcs (hinted it beautifully), and feel utterly real. Quinn may be the most alone of the two of them, but she has incredible inner strength.This is a book for anyone who loves realistic #mglit, especially those kids who want a book that will make them cry. But it's also a wonderful story for kids who like reading warm family and friendship stories. And for anyone who's dealt with a loss of a loved one, this book will be a beloved friend. It belongs in every classroom and every library in this country.

Quinn & Cora have been inseparable friends their whole lives, but tragedy drives a wedge between them. The two girls deal with many losses: their older siblings, their feelings of safety at school, and their friendship. Then, Quinn gets an idea that will save their siblings and repair what has been broken. The two girls come together to explore the possibility of time travel as a means of righting a serious wrong. Will their determination be enough to fix everything?My heart broke for both of these girls as I read- Warga does an excellent job of realistically portraying trauma. Even though both girls lost older siblings, they experience vastly different feelings for them, and their families deal with the events by either embracing therapy or avoiding discussing emotions. I loved Cora's scientific and pragmatic perspective as much as I empathized with Quinn's guilt and desire to make amends. This book is very different from Other Words For Home, but Jasmine Warga's poetic voice comes through in this middle-grade novel. I would be cautious as to which students can handle this text or not- the exploration of grief and trauma could be too much for certain readers.

Would recommend for children and families ‘going through’. The story definitely can open up conversations about tough topics. Well written. Could empathize with the characters. Was compelled to finish. (Keeping it general as to not give away the plot.)