Michael fires his new rifle into the air, never imagining that his bullet will end up killing a man. So begins this taut drama of Michael MacKenzie and of the victim's daughter, Jenna Ward. The mournful girl tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams.
Paperback
PRODUCT INFORMATION
Summary
Michael fires his new rifle into the air, never imagining that his bullet will end up killing a man. So begins this taut drama of Michael MacKenzie and of the victim's daughter, Jenna Ward. The mournful girl tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend and why a near stranger named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams.
Description
For anyone who has wanted to change the past, this captivating and haunting novel is about seemingly innocent choices and their devastating consequences.
When Michael fires his new rifle into the air on his seventeenth birthday, he never imagines that the bullet will end up killing someone. But it does—and Michael’s world is changed forever. Desperate, he wrestles with his guilt and keeps silent as his life begins to fall apart.
When Jenna’s father is killed in a freak Fourth of July accident, she’s devastated. As she grieves, she tries to understand why she no longer feels comfortable with her boyfriend, Jason, and why a guy named Michael keeps appearing in her dreams. . . .
"[An] electrifying portrayal of fear and deception." –Publishers Weekly
Awards
Winner of ALA Best Books for Young Adults 1998 Winner of Maine Student Book Master List 1998 Winner of Texas Lone Star Reading List 1999 Winner of Texas TAYSHAS High School Reading List 1999 Nominated for Arizona Young Readers Award 2001 Nominated for Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award 1999
Critic Reviews
“"Readers will quickly become absorbed in this electrifying portrayal of fear and deception ." - Publishers Weekly "The unexpected consequences of celebratory gunfire are the topic of this well-written novel . . . [It] will appeal to a broad audience, and it is a great vehicle for discussions about guns, violence, and responsibility ." - VOYA "When 17-year-old Michael discovers that he has accidentally killed the father of a schoolmate, he wrestles with his own guilt until he can no longer keep his terrible secret. A compassionate story focusing on both the killer and the family left to grieve the loss of a father and husband ." - School Library Journal "Deliberately paced but deeply felt drama." - Kirkus Reviews”
"Readers will quickly become absorbed in this electrifying portrayal of fear and deception." –Publishers Weekly
“The unexpected consequences of celebratory gunfire are the topic of this well-written novel . . . [It] will appeal to a broad audience, and it is a great vehicle for discussions about guns, violence, and responsibility.” –VOYA
“When 17-year-old Michael discovers that he has accidentally killed the father of a schoolmate, he wrestles with his own guilt until he can no longer keep his terrible secret. A compassionate story focusing on both the killer and the family left to grieve the loss of a father and husband.” –School Library Journal
“Deliberately paced but deeply felt drama.” –Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Joyce McDonald is the author of several critically acclaimed young adult and middle-grade novels, including Shades of Simon Gray, an Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and Devil on My Heels, nominated for five state awards. She is also a poet and is on the faculty of the low-residency MFA in writing program at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. She lives in Forks Township, Pennsylvania, with her husband. Visit Joyce at joycemcdonald.net and on Twitter at @JoyceMcDonald46.
Product Details
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.
