Jo Knowles

See You at Harry's

Candlewick Press

 

 

 

 

From the publisher: 

“Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges–until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.” 

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Reviews:

“Sit back in a comfortable chair, bring on the Kleenex and cry your heart out. Seventh grader Fern, in pitch-perfect present tense, relates the dual tragedies of her family… Prescient writing, fully developed characters and completely, tragically believable situations elevate this sad, gripping tale to a must-read level.”

—Kirkus (Starred review)

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“See You at Harry’s,’ offers, on the one hand, a deft and delicate handling of commonplace traumas — how to negotiate bullying on the school bus, what it means for everyone in a family when a teenager comes to terms with his sexuality — and, on the other, the enormous and mercifully rare drama of a child’s accidental death. And while the distinction between these narrative elements — their disparate weights — may seem to an adult huge, Knowles is aware that a child’s perspective is somewhat different.”

—The New York Times (Editor’s Choice)

 

“Young readers will eagerly turn the pages of this perfectly paced novel and will care deeply about what happens to Fern and her siblings. The story is so authentic and captivating that readers will come to love Fern's family and feel a part of it.” —VOYA

 

“Through the eyes of Fern, Knowles (Lessons from a Dead Girl) introduces a cast of distinct, fully developed characters who exhibit authentic emotions, foibles, and expressions of love. Readers will feel deeply for the family in the aftermath of the plot's heart-wrenching turn, which pulls them closer together.”

—Publisher’s Weekly

 

"…a powerful, spare portrait of a flawed but loving family that experiences the unthinkable - and survives. —The Horn Book

 

Sometimes your heart has to break before it can heal. SEE YOU AT HARRY'S will make you weep, but it will also fill your soul with the extravagant gift of love. This may be the most beautiful book ever.—Lauren Myracle

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Heart-breaking, soul-sustaining, and all-around beautiful.

—Rebecca Stead

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Jo Knowles has crafted a shimmering, pitch-perfect novel of love, loss, and resilience which finds the beauty in the small joys of everyday living, the comfort in the often-infuriating bonds of family, and the gentle hope that grows from the heartbreak of tragedy. Beautiful and life-affirming.—Libba Bray

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See You at Harry's is one of the most beautiful, moving books I've ever read. Full of laughter, love, and tears, it will break your heart and put it back together again, with a little more light, a little more hope than there was before.—Kate Messner

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This story of an imperfect but loving family and how it holds together through shattering tragedy as well as everyday complications is full of true heart. Jo Knowles' love for her characters shines through on every page.—Sara Zarr

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SEE YOU AT HARRY'S is a beautiful, deeply moving story-one never shying from the flawed truths that come from being part of a big, messy family. I finished the book the way I do every Jo Knowles novel: holding it close, not wanting to let go.—Nova Ren Suma

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Jo Knowles writes a family you know in your bones-their routines, rituals, petty gripes, recurring jokes-which is why it about kills you when something equally real and terribly unexpected threatens their very existence as a family. Thankfully, Knowles brings hope-first a flicker, then a big, booming beacon of it. I loved it. —Linda Urban

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Awards:

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• A New York Times Editor’s Choice

• YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults

• An IndieBound Kids’ Indie Next Summer ‘12 Top 10 Choice 

• An Amazon Best Book of the Month (May 2012) 

• ALA’S 2013 Rainbow List

• A NECBA (New England Children's Booksellers Advisory Council) Spring 2012 Top Title

• Amazon Best Middle Grade Books of 2012

• Los Angeles Public Library Best of 2012: Teen Books

• Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2012: Fiction for Older Readers

• New York Times Notable Book of 2012

• International Reading Association Favorite 2012 Books, Grades 6-8

• Kirkus Best Teen Books of 2012

• Nerdy Book Club YA Award 2012

• An ALA Notable Book for Children

• A 2013 CLA/NCTE Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts

• 2013 New England SCBWI Crystal Kite Winner

• Best Middle Grade Contemporary 2012 Runner Up: YA Books Central

• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Best of the Year List (CCBC Choices), 2013 (Young Adult category)

• Vermont’s Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Finalist

• Rhode Island Teen Book Award Finalist

• Maryland Book Award Finalist

• Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Nominee

• Missouri Truman Award Nominee

• Short list for Inside A Dog’s Silver Inky Award

• Connecticut Nutmeg Award Finalist

• Bank Street College's Best Book of The Year List

• Seoul International School Morning Calm Award Medal Nominee

• Goodreads Top 100 Children's Books

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Audio Book Reviews and Awards:

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• "Rudd nails every character from depressed new-age mom to moody adolescent brother. Her pitch and pace are always appropriate to the mood and the character. Additionally, she surmounts what may be the ultimate challenge: voicing a 3-year-old as heartbreakingly innocent without devolving into the sickly sweet—except, of course, when the character demands it." –Audiofile Magazine, Earphones Award

 

• "Listeners are taken through every stage of the dark, heart-wrenching grieving process with throat constricting immediacy, and then led slowly back into the light. A beautiful, if painful, story delivered with remarkable clarity and sensitivity through an exceptional performance." –School Library Journal, Starred Review

 

• A YALSA Amazing Audiobook 2013