Middle Grade Monday: Lost in the Sun

Welcome to a new feature that I'm creating called Middle Grade Monday! I'm not sure if I will be doing the feature weekly, but I will keep it updated because I plan on reading lots of MG books. I hope you enjoy!

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff
Published: May 26th 2015 by Philomel
Source: Library
Format: eBook
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary:
Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent’s pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he's not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is.
If only Trent could make that fresh start happen.
It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious scar across her face—that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren’t always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it.

Review:
Lost in the Sun is about Trent who is guilt-riden from a hockey accident that has a fatal result. Not only does he have to work through the thought of "killing someone", his parents are also divorced and he is forced to keep up a good face while he regularly visits his father and his stepmom. And let me just say, they don't make things easy. Trent's father and stepmom infuriate me with their "support".

Trent enters sixth grade acting like a screw-up because he believes he deserves punishment for being a bad person. The story tells about how Trent heals with the help of Fallon, his brothers, his mom, and his teachers. The family dynamics (OTHER THAN THE DAD) is probably one of my favorite parts. Trent has two brothers Aaron and Doug. They are so important. Every time Trent talks his brothers my heart melts.

The person that helped him heal the most is a girl named Fallon who is weird in the best way. She is a strong character that I couldn't help rooting for because honestly she's a better person than me. Even though she is bullied, she remains calm because she sees no point in retaliating. I was baffled at how good she is. In her situation, I would've snapped but Fallon swallows down her rage and intently continues on as if nothing happened. It's not a story of romance but of the power of friendship. And let me just say, there is something really special about these two's friendship.

I cried multiple times because as childish as it was, it's not fair. I wholeheartedly supported Trent and it was hard watching how some people treated him. Even the adults! Even though I could understand and knew that some of the dad's reasoning made sense, I just wanted to scream because Trent doesn't deserve it. I was not prepared for this book.

 

ANOTHER THING. The writing isn't flowery but there are some lines that made me pause to appreciate it. To quote:

"There was something about Fallon, I'd noticed, that wasn't like what it seemed. Something sad. She was like Mom's coffee- it always smelled sweet, and then you took a sip and realized it was nothing but bitter."

I do believe that YA fans will enjoy this as much as I did. No romance but an amazing, funny story of accepting the past. It's so satisfying. The book is the companion book to Umbrella Summer, which is about the little sister of the boy who died. I did not read it first because I only found out about it after I finished this one, but my little sister read it and it has her approval. I suggest anyone who wants to read Lost in the Sun read the other book first just because it came out first.