A review by sallenreads
AfterMath by Emily Barth Isler

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

AFTERMATH was a moving middle grade book about a 12-year-old girl, Lucy, who's at a new school after her younger brother dies of a heart defect -- except everyone else in her grade is processing their own grief and trauma from surviving a school shooting four years prior. This book tackles some heavy subjects, but it does so with an unmistakable middle grade voice that manages to balance out some scary things with humor and friendship; what results is that the book trusts its readers to be able to consider the subjects at hand, while keeping the sense of hope that's so common in middle grade books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for the ARC.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Grief, and Mass/school shootings

Minor: Terminal illness