It took me a while to finish. For various reasons.
This was a heavy book, emotionally speaking. It's wonderful and gorgeous - but the atmosphere was so so depressing.

I absolutely loved Jewel. Such a spirited and fierce absolutely unique person!
And the world painted inside the book is real, with real living breathing people.

This was GORGEOUS.

FINAL VERDICT: GIVE IT A TRY! ( )

tween/middlegrade realistic fiction; families dealing with grief (with 12 year old mixed race protagonist in rural Iowa). Great depth of character and voice, even when characters don't come right out and say things (which is often), there are a million ways to tell that Jewel is lonely, or that she still feels a strong connection with her deceased older brother (whom she never knew). Extremely impressive debut novel from Chan, who herself grew up as a mixed race child in rural Wisconsin. ( )

Heartbreaking look at a family struggling to overcome the death of a child. Always in the shadow of a brother she never knew, Jewel feels abandoned by her parents and grandfather. When she meets a new friend, everyone is forced to deal with the pain that has been just below the surface. I thought the characters were well developed and the writing was beautiful. A great middle grade debut novel!! 4.5 stars. ( )

Jewel was born the day her five year old brother, nicknamed Bird, tried to fly off a cliff. Her whole life her Grandpa hasn't spoken and her parents have been sad and angry. Her father believes in evil spirits. Jewel is bright and wants to be a geologist. When she meets a boy visiting his uncle for the summer, they click. But their friendship is tested several times. Strong characters, but at times the drama with Jewel's parents dragged the story down. ( )

What a wonderful book. Thank you to the friends who suggested that I read it. It was full of emotion, a complete see-saw, and yet at the end I felt optimistic about the future for the characters. They were very well rounded and I felt as if I actually cared what happened to them. Bereavement is something that affects all families, but learning to cope and supporting family members is so very important.

I read this from a copy provided by Netgalley, with thanks ( )