Author and poet Amber McBride's bewitching, breathtaking debut, Me (Moth), won a slew of awards and was a National Book Award finalist. Her third novel-in-verse for young adults, The Leaving Room (also a National Book Award finalist), is a mere hair's breadth away from the majesty and sheer power of her debut.
Gospel is a Keeper, and it is her job to convince the dead to move on through her Leaving Room. She, however, is "soulless" and may never leave: "there/ are/ no/ doors." Then, suddenly, one appears. McBride's plotting, world building, and formatting make The Leaving Room an extraordinary, irresistible read. The book is broken into eight parts, each with a title, name, or stage of grief, a description, and a number that decreases as the story continues: "Stage 1: Denial/ (Maple, Age 5)/ 03:30." McBride's text is brilliantly sparse as the central mystery builds, but there is a wholeness in the spaces between her words, an expansiveness that binds. This book is for young poets and children and teens who love the written word. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness