Personal Effects (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780763655273)

After his older brother dies in Iraq, Matt makes a discovery that rocks his beliefs about strength, bravery, and honor in this page-turning debut.

Ever since his brother, T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he's been sleepwalking through life -- failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad's lectures about following in his brother's footsteps. T.J.'s gone, but Matt can't shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his brother's stuff from Iraq, he'd be able to make sense of his death. But as Matt searches for answers about T.J.'s death, he faces a shocking revelation about T.J.'s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his father, honor his brother's memory, and take charge of his own life. With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first novel.

Author: E. M. Kokie
ISBN-10: 0763655279
ISBN-13: 9780763655273
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Language: English
Published: 09/11/2012
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 1.20d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.1
Point Value: 11
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 156910 / Personal Effects

Award: Lambda Literary Awards - Finalist
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award - Nominee

Review Citation(s):
Voice of Youth Advocates 08/01/2012 pg. 263 - Recommended - Better Than Most
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2012
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2012 pg. 95
Publishers Weekly 09/24/2012
Booklist 10/15/2012 pg. 57
School Library Journal 01/01/2013 pg. 114
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2013 - Superior,Well Above Average