TEEN BOOK REVIEW: Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Amazon Summary:

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

Book Review:

Lost in the Sun, written by Lisa Graff, is a story about Trent, a young boy in the 6^th grade, who accidentally killed someone. The book revolves around his life after he was affected by this incident. Things such as, friends leaving him, siblings of the victim scolding him and Trent himself, having trouble getting past this tragic event.

I found this book very interesting. The characters seemed realistic and alive, expressing believable  emotions for the appropriate moment. Trent himself felt so real because of the emotions and thoughts he expresses. Also, throughout the story, Trent really only has one friend, Fallon. She too is going through troubles in life because of a scar across her forehead. I enjoyed how they both kept each other at bay because of their similar situations, with Trent being hated by almost everyone and Fallon being made fun of because of a scar across her face.

The story was also quite nice; the tale of a boy who just wants to live a normal life, but because of a tragic event, almost everyone around him dislikes or is even scared of him. I also enjoyed how Trent had to fix issues with friends and even family because of the “event”. It made me happy to see all these characters slowly getting along.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I regularly read it and it was hard for me to put it down. In short, the characters were amazing and realistic; the story kept me at the edge of my seat and the whole atmosphere was fantastic. Overall, I give this book an 8.5/10.

Michael C. (Teen Reviewer)