The Shape of Thunder

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 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!

The Shape of Thunder is one of those books that makes a lasting impression, taking on many challenging themes, including gun violence, grief, forgiveness, and parents unable to help their children get through a tragedy. I commend Jasmine Warga for having the courage to write such a beautiful yet painful story.Cora and Quinn are lifelong friends until the most tragic of happenings, a school shooting involving their older siblings. Quinn's older brother takes the life of Cora's sister. Warga's portrayal of these two middle school girls and their relationship throughout was brilliant and realistic. There is anger, blame, guilt, shame, and many other understandable human emotions. I felt immense compassion for both main characters. Another aspect of the story that was exceptionally well done was how the parents and Cora's grandma dealt with the tragedy.The girls, desperate for answers, think that by using time travel, they may rewrite history and prevent the shooting. Without spoiling whether they were successful, I commend the author on the conclusion. The middle school dynamics were spot-on throughout. Since themes like death, guns, and anger are front and center, I think the book is geared toward 7th and 8th grades. I was particularly moved by the author's note about why she wrote this story—one of the best books I've read this year.

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 and Cora used to be best friends. When Quinn’s brother killed Cora’s sister in a school shooting, they stopped speaking. Now months later, Quinn leaves Cora a birthday gift on her doorstep: articles about time travel and wormholes. Quinn is convinced that, with Cora’s help, they can open a wormhole, travel back in time, and fix what Quinn’s brother did. As they begin to work on their experiment together, they find a whirlwind of emotion coming up. If they can’t find a way to go back in time, maybe there is a way their friendship could forge a path forward.THE SHAPE OF THUNDER is a crucially important, beautifully written middle grade novel that tackles a heavy topic. This story largely focuses on the months-later aftermath of the shooting, intimately examining the two families and how they are coping (or not coping). Quinn is dealing with guilt, worry over the arguments between her parents, and grief over losing her friendship with Cora. Cora feels shame that she misses Quinn and worries she’s betraying her sister by doing so, and she misses her sister dearly. Much like the middle grade works of Jason Reynolds, Jasmine Warga knows how to write *to* kids rather than *at* them and approaches a tough, emotional topic with care and respect.In the middle of the heavy themes, I loved the small character-building moments with Quinn and Cora. I loved Cora’s passion for science and expert use of scientific facts. Quinn has a beautiful imagination and can appreciate the magic around her, like in an old tree.With heartfelt characters, a touching storyline, and a nuanced take on a tough issue, THE SHAPE OF THUNDER is a must have for any middle grade shelf.

It was a great book and I'm really happy with the condition

This book is about friends and family. This story is something that I will never forget!