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Jasmine Warga

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The Shape of Thunder Paperback – May 3, 2022

by Jasmine Warga (Author)

4.6 251 ratings

Goodreads Choice Award nominee

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An extraordinary new novel from Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home, about loss and healing—and how friendship can be magical.

Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.

Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.

On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.

In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.

The Shape of Thunder is a deeply moving story, told with exceptional grace, about friendship and loss—and how believing in impossible things can help us heal.

Reading age

8 - 12 years
Print length

304 pages
Language

English
Grade level

3 - 7
Dimensions

5.12 x 0.61 x 7.62 inches
Publisher

Balzer + Bray
Publication date

May 3, 2022
ISBN-10

006295668X
ISBN-13

978-0062956682
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“With taut pacing, nuanced characters, and compassionate depictions of grief and trauma, Warga’s novel is both timely and transcendent; a must-purchase for all collections.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

“The story builds steadily toward a moving conclusion; Warga’s lyrical language and credible rendering of both middle school life and of the tensions of two families coping differently with personal devastation make for a perceptive, sensitively told novel about the effects of gun violence.” — Publishers Weekly

“[Cora and Quinn] are well developed, and Warga skillfully handles both their delicate, emotional friendship and larger subjects of grief and gun violence. Powerful and emotionally complex.” — Kirkus Reviews

“This will spark meaningful discussions.” — ALA Booklist

“Warga skillfully develops unique voices for her narrators, and the novel’s alternating-perspective structure works well. Emotions run high throughout the book without dragging down the plot, and the portrayal of middle-school life is utterly authentic.” — Horn Book Magazine

“Warga limns a tale that downplays sensationalism while acknowledging the deep fear that many readers may carry regarding school shootings.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A beautiful story about the love that is possible even when the worst has already happened.” — Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medalist

About the Author

Jasmine Warga is the New York Times bestselling author of Other Words for Home, a Newbery Honor Book and a Walter Honor Book for Younger Readers; The Shape of Thunder; and A Rover’s Story. Her teen books, Here We Are Now and My Heart and Other Black Holes, have been translated into over twenty-five languages. She lives in the Chicago area with her family. You can visit Jasmine online at jasminewarga.com.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Balzer + Bray (May 3, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 006295668X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062956682
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 - 12 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 3 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.61 x 7.62 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #118,734 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #150 in Children's Books on Death & Dying
- #550 in Children's Siblings Books (Books)
- #2,494 in Children's Friendship Books

Customer Reviews:
4.6 251 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

251 global ratings

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Nathan Woodward

deeply moving, dramatic

Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2022

Verified Purchase

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

Helpful

Vanessa

Good according to my 11 yr old

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2022

Verified Purchase

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

One person found this helpful

Helpful

S Smiley-Olson

Really Good Story

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2022

Verified Purchase

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!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Karen

Please read. A powerful story.

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024

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.)

Helpful

Diane Magras

An incredibly powerful, brilliant story of tragedy, friendship, and love

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021

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.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Pete Springer

A Powerful and Poignant Read

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2022

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.

Helpful

Samantha

Crucially important story of healing, friendship, and family

Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2021

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.

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