At the end of 2019 I used one of my favorite Twitter hashtags – #AskALibrarian – to ask for new book recommendations with these qualities:
– a page turner
– book you can’t stop thinking about
– book that added something to your life
One of the recommendations I received – Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano – was being released in 2020 so I immediately added it to my early 2020 release reading list.
And I’m posting today to say that YES, this is a book worth reading that met my qualifications above.
First of all, you should know this book is about a plane crash. So I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as travel reading.
The crash miraculously has a sole survivor, a twelve-year-old boy, Edward. The narrative then goes back and forth between 1) the hours on the plane leading up to the crash, which are the last that Edward is able to spend with his parents and brother, and show how the other travelers form relationships with each other, and 2) Edward adjusting to his new life post-crash. The book is sad and beautiful at the same time.
It was easy to read, kept my interest, and was a life-affirming story even though it was based on a tragedy. So thank you #AskALibrarian! What new books have your read that meet my qualifications?