Rain Rising
by Courtne Comrie
Middle School, High School    Harper/HarperCollins    336 pp.
9/22    9780063159730    $16.99
e-book ed.  9780063159747    $8.99

Plagued by body-image concerns and a lack of self-worth for as long as she can remember, Rain Washington can’t seem to escape her sadness. Every day is a struggle to wake up and head to middle school—alone, since her best friend has moved out of their neighborhood (and in some ways, their friendship). Rain’s few moments of happiness are thanks to her older brother, Xander. Cool, kind, intelligent, and loved by all, Xander is everything Rain wishes to be. With an absentee father and overworked mother, Rain feels that Xander is the only one who truly cares about her. When Xander is beaten by white fraternity members while on a college trip with his elite prep school, Rain’s entire world is shattered. As she tries to maneuver through the press coverage, hospital visits, and her mother’s and brother’s changed behaviors, the chaotic aftermath causes Rain to spiral into self-destructive patterns. It takes support from an observant teacher and an afterschool group led by the school counselor to equip her with coping mechanisms to help heal and learn she’s not as alone as she’d thought. This first-person novel in verse offers a powerfully intimate look at subjects such as depression, anxiety, and self-harm. In a heartfelt author’s note, Comrie encourages readers to come to the same revelation Rain does: “Feelings really do matter. And no matter what, you are so loved.”

From the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.