Ode to a Nobody

<b>A devastating tornado tears apart more than just houses in this striking novel in verse about a girl rebuilding herself.</b><br><br>Before the storm, thirteen-year-old Quinn was happy flying under the radar. She was average. Unremarkable. Always looking for an escape from her house, where her bickering parents fawned over her genius big brother. <br><br><i>      Inside our broken home / we didn’t know how broken / the world outside was.</i><br><i></i><br><i> </i><br><i> </i><br>But after the storm, Quinn can’t seem to go back to average. Her friends weren''t affected by the tornado in the same way. To them, the storm left behind a playground of abandoned houses and distracted adults. As Quinn struggles to find stability in the tornado’s aftermath, she must choose: between homes, friendships, and versions of herself.<br><br>       <i>Nothing that was mine / yesterday is mine today.</i><br><br>Told in rich, spectacular verse, Caroline Brooks DuBois crafts a powerful story of redemption as Quinn makes her way from Before to After. There’s nothing average about the world Quinn wakes up to after the storm; maybe there’s nothing average about her, either. This emotional coming-of-age journey for middle grade readers proves that it’s never too late to be the person you want to be.  <br><br><b>Missouri Truman Reader Award List</b>