Clementine

Since her younger sister Halley died from an allergic reaction to peanuts two years prior to this book’s start, now-14-year-old Clementine Marsh, who cues as white, has experienced depression and grief that led to a suicide attempt. Now, she’s transitioned out of her beloved Montessori and started ninth grade at a chaotic new school where she experiences bullying, slaps a smirking classmate, and believes she’s seen as “the one who has lost her mind.” Meanwhile, she also feels as if she’s stuck in a snow globe where tears fall instead of snow. Clementine’s widowed mother provides support via a residential program and therapy, a support group, a trip to see old friends, and, finally, what Clementine—whose snarky first-person narration is candid and sometimes funny—calls a “low-rent Outward Bound.” The program emphasizes activity, community, and routine, but nothing really helps, especially when Clementine’s mother starts dating. Balancing each of Clementine’s steps forward with one back, Hood’s follow-up to Jude Banks, Superhero offers a difficult, emotionally keyed portrayal of grief, depression, and suicidal ideation in which healing comes slowly, and in fits and starts. Ages 10–up. Agent: Gail Hochman, Brandt & Hochman. (May)