Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

This is a beautiful, beautiful book.  The seminal event of the book is a plane crash that leaves one survivor - a 12 year old boy.  We meet the passengers on that flight, and discover with Edward what it takes for him to recover.

The author tells the story in two timelines, one before the crash and one after.  As the reader gets closer to the end of the book, she also gets closer to the crash.  It's gut wrenching.

All of the people in the boy's life want the best for him, but there is no playbook written for this kind of situation.  I love the way all of the characters were drawn; Edward, his aunt and uncle, neighbor girl, and principal being my favorite.  We even got to know several of the passengers and that made the description of the crash even more gut wrenching.

Learning that the author modeled the plane crash on a real crash lent authenticity and authority to the thread of narrative that takes place on the plane.

This book is well worth the time spent reading it.       



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