Lost For Words by Alice Kuipers

• Reading level: Young Adult
  Hardcover: 224 pages
  Publisher: HarperTeen; 1 edition (May 11, 2010)
  
  Summary: My New Year's resolution: I'm moving on from everything that's happened. I'm not going to talk about it, think about it, let the memory pounce upon me like a waiting tiger, nothing.
  
  All Sophie wants to do is forget. But it's not easy now that everything's changed. The house feels too big, school drags on for too long, lights are too bright, the room spins, and her hands get sweaty for no reason. And she can't remember why she was ever best friends with Abigail, who is obsessed with parties and boys. Only the new girl, Rosa-Leigh, with her prose poems and utter confidence, might understand. But talking to her seems impossible.
  
  Lost in memories of the life she once had, Sophie retreats into herself. But there's only so long she can keep everything bottled up inside before she explodes. Maybe by confronting the tragedy of her past she'll figure out how to fix her future.
  
  My review: Sophie has had a traumatic event happen to her--in fact, it unfurled right before her eyes, but we don't learn what 'this' is until later. All she wants to do is forget about it so she goes around telling everyone she's fine. She's not fine and this is what the book is about, her learning to cope with the aftermath of a personal tragedy. I don't want to spoil the reading experience for others so I will just say that through a fight with a friend, meeting new people, having hope and courage, Sophie is able to realize she's not okay. And from this realization she finds a way to make it through this extremely hard time in her life.
  
  Lost For Words is unlike any story I've read in awhile. There is humor, courage, friendship, tragedy and hope--all in one novel which is in the format of a diary. With this format I felt a much closer connection to Sophie and her touching entries. Through her words and her poems, her feelings are revealed. This novel made me think about the people close to me in my own life and appreciate them much more.
  
  I felt the beginning was a little slow moving, but then the story clicked midway when the mystery was revealed and from then on I was absorbed into this heartwarming and sad tale of love and loss. I recommend this title and I think it would be a good book to read on a long trip.
  
  Favorite excerpt: (From pages 208-209, ARC edition)
                             Emily
                            
                            The windows failed
                            I could not see
                                  to see
  
  
                            Hold on to her tightly
  
  
                           She's generous
                                 (an orange leaf)
  
  
                           Hugeness shut quietly
                           I suddenly couldn't breathe
                                  (take deep breaths)
                           If only
                           I could go back
                                 if only it would make sense
  
  
                           I held her hand
                              watched the sun go down
                           Briefly
  
  
  Rating: ++++
  
  
  Cover comment: I liked the cover picture. I believe it's supposed to be Sophie's sister, Emily.
  
  
  Book source: Around the World Tours
  
  
  Reviewed by: Caitlin