Lost in the Sun

Seven and one half months earlier, 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 journal of his thoughts and drawings. Trent is also very angry. He backs away from his best friend, acts out at school, and clashes with his family.He encounters Fallon one day when she stands up for him in an altercation. Trent does not appreciate this and lets her know. Fallon for whatever reason is persistent in befriending Trent. Fallon is known for the large scar on her face, and her weird outfits. Also in Trent's life show more is a dedicated teacher who Trent, "hates" and refers to her as "a wrinkled old crone." 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. The story 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. show less

The ending of this book was touching and satisfying, but it seemed like it took a while to get there. Trent is carrying around a lot of guilt and anger. His relationship with his dad is down the toilet. He can't shake the guilt he feels about a pick-up hockey game gone wrong where another kid died. He's convinced its his fault and how can he be happy or have fun if someone is dead because of him? He has to navigate his way through troubled times and no one seems to know he needs help or how to help him. He meets a new friend, Fallon. His crusty teacher seems to hate him. But then something starts to turn...

3.5 His alterations in the conclusion came way too fast for me. He suddenly went from sullen to articulate and gabby. I know there were steps that he took to get there, but not enough to make it realistic. I think a child with an out-of-control home situation can feel some hope after reading this though. I like how she showed that he could trust his mom's boyfriend; that his perfect older brother has difficulties but also couldn't share them; there are consequences with not dealing with anger...people can be scared & not want to be friends with you.

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 show more the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it. show less

Okay, so this book is a decent enough portrayal of PTSD and guilt for the age range it's written in. The writing is beautiful and the metaphors! The metaphors!

On the other hand, MPDG trope and we didn't get to find out what happened to Fallon. I get what she was going for but at the same time, I WANT TO KNOW. The parents were also shitty parents.

Teachers... If you've ever had a child in your class that you try so hard to help but they continue to disappoint you. You try harder and harder but it seems like they try harder to get you NOT like them. So you feel like giving up? You MUST read this book. This is the story of exactly that child. An inside look at what a troubled child's life can look like. You begin reading it and loving him. You begin getting angry at all the people in his life because they don't SEE why he acts the way he does. They just see his troubled actions. Read the story behind the actions. In so many ways, Trent is real. In many ways, I thank Trent. And I thank Lisa Graff for creating him. 5

I really liked the way that the author dealt with the anger and grief that Trent experiences as a result of a freak accident. The pressures of divorced parents is overlaid on this event so that the emotions of the main character really resonate. I really liked how there are very low key actions by the adults in his life that help Trent to move towards healing.