Author Sonya Sones was thirteen when her oldest sister had a nervous breakdown on Christmas Eve. Now an adult, Sones revisits the events and emotions surrounding her sister's illness (which was diagnosed as manic-depression) in poems that are notable for their unblinking honesty. She courageously captures-or recaptures-her adolescent self, baring her own shame and and embarrassment at having a sister who was "crazy," her feelings of devastation and jealousy as her family struggled to cope, the rare moments of joy when the big sister she desperately missed would briefly reveal herself. Hope is her final offering-both in the cycle of poems, which end with the teenage Sones's growing acceptance of her sister's condition and the sure sign of her sister's and her family's improvement, and in her author's note, in which she briefly chronicles the productive life her sister has lead. (Age 14 and older)

It happens just like that, in the blink of an eye. An older sister has a mental breakdown and has to be hospitalized. A younger sister is left behind to cope with a family torn apart by grief and friends who turn their backs on her. But worst of all is the loss of her big sister, her confidante, her best friend, who has gone someplace no one can reach.

In the tradition of The Bell Jar, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, and Lisa, Bright and Dark comes this haunting first book told in poems, and based on the true story of the author's life.

2000 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) and 2000 Quick Picks for Young Adults (Recomm. Books for Reluctant Young Readers)