Echo

Echo by Kate Morgenroth Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2007, 137 pp., $15.99 Death/Mystery ISBN-13: 978-1-4169-1438-9

Justin Thomas' world was turned upside down the day his younger brother, Mark, died in a terrible accident. In the past year Justin has been fighting for things to go back to normal, but no matter what he does, he cannot stop reliving the day of the accident. On the anniversary of his brother's death, Justin starts hearing a voice in his head, making the "normal" day even more thrilling with unexpected twists. As the story goes on, Justin learns that not all things are what they seem, and there is not always a clear line defining reality vs. illusion. Morgenroth explores the mind of a troubled adolescent discovering the truth about the life around him. Some of the descriptions (including Mark's death) are a bit graphic at times, but nothing too extravagant for a teenage reader. Readers will get trapped in the life of Justin Thomas, figuring out where the line between reality and illusion should be drawn...or if there even is a line for Justin.

Lauren Grogan

Fishers, IN

Copyright Assembly on Literature for Adolescents -- National Council of Teachers of English Summer 2007
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