Everywhere Blue

Everywhere Blue
by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz (Author)
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Booktalk: When twelve-year-old Maddie’s older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling. Meanwhile Maddie’s older sister reacts by staying out late, and her parents are always distracted by the search for Strum. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family’s musical household falls silent.

Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about the climate crisis and their planet’s future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . .

Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family’s fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren’t who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won’t solve everything–but she knows he’s out there, and she has to try.

Snippet:
My Oboe

While my reed soaks
in a small cup of warm water,
I assemble my oboe,
gently screwing each piece
in the right order.

Order is good,
Order is calming.
Just like even numbers.
Order helps me to
stop thinking bad thoughts.
About me throwing up.
People bleeding.
Or someone dying.

A 2021 Cybils Poetry nominee

Copyright © 2021 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.