Lost in the sun / Lisa Graff.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From the author of A Tangle of Knots and Absolutely Almost , a touching story about a boy who won't let one tragic accident define him.

Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent's pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he's not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is.

If only Trent could make that fresh start happen.

It isn't until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little--the girl with the mysterious scar across her face--that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren't always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it.

Praise for Lost in the Sun :

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year!

* "Graff writes with stunning insight [and] consistently demonstrates why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation."-- Kirkus Reviews *STARRED*

* "Graff creates layered, vulnerable characters that are worth getting to know."-- Booklist *STARRED*

* "[A]n ambitious and gracefully executed story."-- Publishers Weekly *STARRED*

* "Weighty matters deftly handled with humor and grace will give this book wide appeal."-- School Library Journal *STARRED*

* "Characterization is thoughtful."-- BCCB *STARRED*

"In Lost in the Sun , Trent decides that he will speak the truth: that pain and anger and loss are not the final words, that goodness can find us after all--even when we hide from it. This is a novel that speaks powerfully, honestly, almost shockingly about our human pain and our human redemption. This book will change you."--Gary Schmidt, two-time Newbery Honor-winning author of The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

"Lisa Graff crafts a compelling story about a boy touched with tragedy and the world of people he cares about. And like all the best stories, it ends at a new beginning."--Richard Peck, Newbery Award-winning author of A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago


Lisa Graff's Awards and Reviews:

Lisa Graff's books have been named to 30 state award lists, and A Tangle of Knots was long-listed for the National Book Award.

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Prologue When we were real little kids, Mom used to take Aaron and Doug and me to Sal's Pizzeria for dinner almost every Tuesday, which is when they had their Family Night Special. I think she liked it because she didn't have to worry about dinner for three growing boys for one night, but we liked it because there was a claw machine there--one of those giant contraptions with toys inside, all sorts, and a metal claw that you moved around with a joystick to try to grab at the toys. As soon as we got into the restaurant, Mom would hand us two dollars, which is how much it cost for three tries, and we'd huddle around the machine and plan our attack. We didn't want to waste that two dollars, so we usually took the whole amount of time until our pizza came up, trying to get one of those toys (back then, I had my eye on a fuzzy blue monster, and Doug was desperate for one of the teddy bears, but after a while we would've settled for anything). Aaron, as the oldest, was the designated joystick manipulator, and Doug, the youngest, would stand at the side and holler when he thought Aaron had the best angle on the chosen toy. I was in charge of strategy. Mom would sit at the table, waiting for our pizza, and read her book. I think she enjoyed the claw machine even more than we did. We spent six months trying for a toy in that claw machine. Forty-eight dollars. Never got a single thing. No one else had gotten one either, we could tell. None of the stuffed animals ever shifted position. But we were determined to be the first. Finally the owner, Sal Jr., made us stop. He said he couldn't in good conscience let us waste any more money. Then he got a key from the back room, and unlocked the side window panel of the claw machine, and showed us. "See how flimsy this thing is?" he said, poking at the claw. "Here, Trent, have a look." He boosted me up, till I was practically inside the machine, and let me fiddle with the claw, too. After that it was Doug's turn, then Aaron's. "A cheap piece of metal like that," Sal Jr. told us, "it could never grab hold of one of these toys. Not if you had the best aim in the world. Not in a thousand years. And you know why?" "Why?" I asked. I was mesmerized. I remember. "I'll tell you, Trent. Because, look." That's when Sal Jr. grabbed hold of the teddy bear's arm. Yanked it hard. It wouldn't budge. You could hear the seams in the bear's stitching rip, just a little. "They're all packed in together super tight," I said when I figured it out. "There's no room for any of them to go." "Exactly," Sal Jr. told me. He locked the side window panel back up. "Consider that a lesson in economics, boys." We got two pizzas on the house that night, with extra everything. Aaron was so mad about the claw machine, he hardly ate. He said Sal Jr. had been stealing our money from the start, so it didn't matter if he gave us pizza after, he was still a crook. Doug disagreed. He gobbled up his pizza so fast, you'd never even have known he wanted a teddy bear. Me, though, I was more fascinated than anything. I felt like I'd learned a real lesson, a grown-up one, and it stuck with me. That's the day I figured out that no matter how hard you tug at something, no matter how bad you want it, sometimes it just can't be pried free. I thought about that claw machine a lot after Jared died. Because there were days--who am I kidding, every day was one of those days--when I wished I could lift that moment out of my life, just scoop it up with an industrial-sized claw, and toss it into a metal bin. Remove it from existence, so that it never happened at all. But I knew that wasn't something I could ever do--and not just because I didn't have a magic claw machine with the power to erase events from history. No, I knew I could never disappear that moment, because just like with the claw machine, there were so many events pushed up around it that there'd be no way to get it to budge. Everything that had happened before, and everything that happened after, those moments were all linked. Smushed together. Still, I couldn't help thinking that if I had it to do over, I never would've hit that hockey puck. Excerpted from Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Less than a year ago, 12-year-old Trent Zimmerman accidentally contributed to the death of his teammate Jared during a hockey game, after nailing him with a puck (Jared had a "bad heart"). Already prone to overthinking, Trent is overwhelmed by disturbing thoughts, which he draws in a closely guarded book, and very angry. He backs away from his best friend, acts out at school, and clashes with his family. With help from a persistent classmate, who is known as much for the large scar on her face as for her weird outfits, and a similarly dedicated teacher, Trent is gradually able to let go of his intense guilt and regain his confidence. Trent's barely constrained rage is visceral, and the moments when he lashes out, verbally and physically, are as frightening as they are realistic. In an ambitious and gracefully executed story, Graff (Absolutely Almost) covers a lot of emotional ground, empathically tracing Trent's efforts to deal with a horrible, inexplicable accident and to heal the relationships that have become collateral damage along the way. Ages 10-up. Agent: Stephen Barbara, InkWell Management. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Ever since a freak hockey accident killed his friend Jared, Trent has felt guilty and angry and thinks everyone hates him. After all, it was his stray shot that hit Jared. He lashes out at teachers, ignores his friends, and feels misunderstood by family. When Fallon, a girl with a secret, befriends him and won't take no for an answer, he reluctantly opens up. Narrator Ramon de Ocampo's unique intonations and voice bring to life Trent's world with ease. The author expertly handles the topic, and the plot is engaging, but the characters' motives are stiff and unbelievable at times. Readers will laugh and cry as they relate to Trent's flawed character and his struggles to forgive himself. VERDICT A good choice for those who enjoy realistic fiction, need help dealing with grief, or like audiobooks about the healing power of friendship.-Jessica Moody, Olympus Jr. High, Holladay, UT © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Middle school is tough, but try getting through sixth grade after accidentally killing someone with a hockey puck. Such is Trent Zimmerman's misfortune. Wracked with guilt and anger, he is never without his Book of Thoughts, the sketchbook where he draws the awful images he can't get out of his brain. Sure that everyone hates him, Trent acts out at school, shuts out friends, and is overcome by sweaty panic at the thought of playing sports again. Life is difficult at home, too, where his parents' divorce has resulted in a contentious relationship with his father. Relief comes in the eccentric form of Fallon Little, a girl with a mysterious scar and an indomitable spirit. But Fallon has her secrets as well. The emotions and motivations coursing through this novel are wonderfully complex. Graff creates layered, vulnerable characters who are worth getting to know and rooting for. Narrated by the moody, sarcastic Trent, the story never buckles beneath his troubles, and it finds wings once he can see beyond them. Pranks, The Sandlot reenactments, sports talk, and doughnuts are in plentiful supply, adding dashes of levity at the right moments. The book's real magic is found in simple acts like watering plants and learning when to listen and when to just tip your head back and scream at the sky.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2015 Booklist

Horn Book Review

I didnt do it on purpose, obviously, says twelve-year-old Trent Zimmerman. Kill Jared Richards, I meanBut accident or not, Jared Richards died, and I was the reason, so what was the difference? Either way, I killed him. Trent mistakenly shot a hockey puck into Jareds chest, and Jared, who had a heart defect, died. Now Trent is lost in self-absorption, convinced everyone hates him, and filled with a rage thats always about to boil over. His parents are divorced, and he avoids spending time with his father; he calls his teacher a wrinkled old crone; he beats up a kid; and hes getting lousy grades. Like the outfielder who loses a fly ball in the sun (per the books title), Trent has lost sight of what matters most in his life. After befriending Fallon Little, the girl with the scar, Trent gradually sees how his actions have affected everyone around him. Readers may find the storys pace slow and Fallons tale frustratingly unfinished, but Trents powerful first-person narrative may resonate with young people who often feel lost in situations beyond their control. Family, friends, and even that old crone Ms. Emerson have been there all along; Trent just had to learn to see them. dean schneider (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

When internal anger turns into outward rage, one middle school misfit must find a solution or risk ruining everything that matters.Trent Zimmerman can't help it. It's not his fault that his dad hates him, and his teacher, the old crone, hates him, and his old friends hate him. Only, well, he feels so guilty. Maybe it is his fault. Ever since the accident back in February, when Trent accidentally hit a hockey puck into Jared Richards with catastrophic results, his life has been turned upside down. When middle school starts in the fall, Trent believes it's a chance to start fresh, only it doesn't take long for him to realize that no one has forgotten what happened to Jaredespecially Trent. Now his anger is getting bigger and bigger, pushing against his insides and making Trent lash out. If that isn't crazy enough, he finds himself in a bizarro friendship with terribly scarred Fallon Little, who just might be able to teach Trent how to value himself. Graff writes with stunning insight into boyhood and humanity, allowing Trent to speak for himself in a pained, honest narration. Investing Trent with all the tragic frailty of Holden Caulfield, Graff tackles issues of loss, isolation, and rage without apology.Graff consistently demonstrates why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation, and here she offers a story that can survive for many school years to come. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.