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. This beautiful, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story explores the loneliness of grief—and the magic of finding your way back to the one person who understands. A Heartbreaking Dual Perspective: Told in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of Cora and Quinn, two girls struggling with the same tragedy from opposite sides. - A Story of Friendship and Healing: As Cora and Quinn work together to change the past, they start to mend the powerful bond that has grown between them, finding solace in their shared history. - A Touch of Magical Realism: A compelling exploration of loss that blends a realistic, contemporary setting with the impossible quest to open a wormhole and travel through time. - Grappling with Guilt and Grief: Perfect for young readers, this novel tackles heavy themes like guilt, loss, and the aftermath of gun violence with immense grace and sensitivity. Gr 4–8—Twelve-year-old Cora's older sister, Mabel, was killed in a school shooting; Cora's best friend Quinn's older brother was the shooter. Told in alternating perspectives, this novel chronicles Cora and Quinn's desperate attempt to unlock the secret of time travel and undo the event that shattered their friendship. The novel confronts readers with devastating questions about school shootings, access to firearms, Islamophobia, and the radicalization of white teenage boys via web forums. Quinn, who is white, is plagued with persistent guilt at the signs she noticed, like Parker calling her a "stupid female" and Cora's father a "nasty foreigner." Cora, whose father is a Lebanese immigrant, wants to learn more about her heritage but fears the way that being Muslim made Mabel a target. Warga's characters are full, complex figures who deal with Quiz Bowl practice and first crushes alongside therapy sessions and panic attacks during lockdown drills. This sensitive title holds space for the grief and pain of all of the characters, whether they are related to the shooter or his victims. VERDICT 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.—Molly Saunders, Manatee County P.L., Bradenton, FL “[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 “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 “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 “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) “A beautiful story about the love that is possible even when the worst has already happened.” - Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medalist “Eureka! My heart and mind received a workout while reading The Shape of Thunder. I underlined, highlighted, starred, and put asterisks around words, phrases, and paragraphs. I pored over every sentence. It is the perfect book club selection. It asks big, important questions that wi