A brother's disappearance turns one family upside down, revealing painful secrets that threaten the life they've always known.When twelve-year-old Maddie's older brother vanishes from his college campus, her carefully ordered world falls apart. Nothing will fill the void of her beloved oldest sibling. Meanwhile Maddie's older sister reacts by staying out late, and her parents are always distracted by the search for Strum. Drowning in grief and confusion, the family's musical household falls silent.
Though Maddie is the youngest, she knows Strum better than anyone. He used to confide in her, sharing his fears about the climate crisis and their planet's future. So, Maddie starts looking for clues: Was Strum unhappy? Were the arguments with their dad getting worse? Or could his disappearance have something to do with those endangered butterflies he loved . . .
Scared and on her own, Maddie picks up the pieces of her family's fractured lives. Maybe her parents aren't who she thought they were. Maybe her nervous thoughts and compulsive counting mean she needs help. And maybe finding Strum won't solve everything--but she knows he's out there, and she has to try.
This powerful debut novel in verse addresses the climate crisis, intergenerational discourse, and mental illness in an accessible, hopeful way. With a gorgeous narrative voice,
Everywhere Blue is perfect for fans of
Eventown and
OCDaniel.
An NCTE Notable Verse NovelA Mighty Girl Best Book of the YearA Bank Street Best Children's Book of the YearCybils Award Poetry Winner!
On sale: June 1, 2021
Age: 8-12 years
Grade: Grades 3-7
Page count: 256 Pages
ISBN: 9780823448623
Reading level: Fountas/Pinnell: Y
Joanne Rossmassler Fritz is a poet who has worked for a publishing company, a school library, and the children’s department of an independent bookstore. She’s been writing for most of her life, but didn’t get serious about it until after she survived the first of two brain aneurysm ruptures. Joanne and her husband live in southeastern Pennsylvania, and are the parents of two grown sons. You can visit her at www.joannerossmasslerfritz.com.
"An insightful exploration of a girl’s inner tickings."
—Kirkus Reviews "Maddie’s quiet courage shimmers like the flash of a butterfly’s wing."—Caroline Starr Rose, author of
May B. "I love everything about this novel. Being inside Madrigal’s thoughts is like living in a metronome that slowly evolves into a layered symphony. Fritz’s verse style gently alters your brainwaves until you are in perfect rhythm with the universe."—Nicole Valentine, author of
A Time Traveler’s Theory of Relativity "A lyrical novel that makes you feel the chill in your bones but also gives you hope and beauty and lightness, like watching Maddie’s beloved butterflies open and soar."—Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award–winning author of
Mockingbird "Libraries need more titles featuring young people who care about climate change and live with undiagnosed mental illness, and this fresh novel in verse fits the bill."
—School Library Journal "This well-written story of a family under duress blends music and ecology and may fit a certain niche in some collections."
—School Library Connection
