Before We Go Extinct: A Novel - Hardcover

Karen Rivers is the author of many award-winning books for children and teens, including The Girl in the Well Is Me. She lives in Victoria, BC, with her children.

Gr 7 Up—JC (aka Sharky) stopped speaking after he witnessed the death of his best friend, The King, in what may have been a suicide or an accidental fall off the 42nd story of his father's unfinished Manhattan high-rise. Sent to live with his distant hippie father on a mostly deserted Vancouver island for the summer, JC continues to withdraw, texting his dead best friend and attempting to ignore the entreaties of their other best friend, Daff; Daff's and The King's mutual growing attraction may have been an impetus for The King's death. JC turns to diving, exploring the underwater world among the islands, prompting him to want to talk again. Ruminating on his grief and reliving the events leading up to The King's death, the protagonist begins to open himself up to others with the help of the enigmatic Kelby, his father's girlfriend's daughter, and her younger brother Charlie. While the plot feels familiar, the story's strength lies in JC's thoughtful, honest contemplation of his grief. Secondary characters also add emotional depth to his story, if not their own subplots. VERDICT Purchase for collections in need of realistic fiction, especially involving death or suicide.—Hillary St. George, Los Angeles Public Library