Synopses & Reviews
Tessa Reynolds is finishing up her junior year of high school. She's just had a humiliating experience at the prom, and she's constantly struggling with her weight and her perfectionist mother.
When she sees a dodgeball zooming toward her head in gym class, she doesn't bother to duck. As she falls to the gym floor, she floats up to what seems to be heaven while examining the scene beneath her. When she arrives, she finds that heaven looks a lot like the mall, where she's spent most of her free time over the years.
After initially rebelling at having to relive what are often painful memories, she slowly begins to gain a better perspective of her life, her friends, and her family. She sees the decisions she made, and now, with hindsight, she can learn from them. She is given the choice to return to her life, and she takes it, armed with a new self-esteem and big hopes for her future. After all, high school doesn't last forever.
Written in witty, accessible verse, this poetry novel will both move and entertain readers and make them reevaluate their own lives, too.
Review
"Although Mass takes a chance by offering readers an unlikable protagonist, albeit one who eventually (and literally) sees the light at the end, this free-verse, emotionally realistic novel will resonate with many." Booklist
Review
"The short, free-verse format might entice reluctant readers to pick up the book." VOYA
Review
"What makes this novel unique is its ability to bring the character to this realization without being preachy or condescending. Funny, thought-provoking, and at times heartbreaking, this story will entertain and inspire readers." School Library Journal
Synopsis
When 16-year-old Tessa suffers a shocking accident in gym class, she finds herself in heaven (or what she
thinks is heaven), which happens to bear a striking resemblance to her hometown mall. In the tradition of
It's a Wonderful Life and
The Christmas Carol, Tessa starts reliving her life up until that moment. She sees some things she'd rather forget, learns some things about herself she'd rather not know, and ultimately must find the answer to one burning question--if only she knew what the question
was.
Written in sharp, witty verse, Wendy Mass crafts an extraordinary tale of a spunky heroine who hasn't always made the right choices, but needs to discover what makes life worth living.
About the Author
Wendy Mass is the author of the ALA Schneider Family Award winner A Mango-Shaped Space and Leap Day. Her most recent novel, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, was a Book Sense Pick. Wendy lives in Sparta, New Jersey with her husband and her twin daughter and son.