Ketchup Clouds
FlumeAward – Ketchup Clouds Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher
This was a really interesting story that I think teens will love. The story is told in letters from the main character to a prison inmate. She wants to give him her confessions. There is a boy dead, and she is responsible. Although, it’s a bit predictable what "her fault" really implies, it was still a great read that kept building until the end. -Britt HML
"Zoe" is responsible for a death, but she can’t talk to her friends or family about it, and couldn’t even make herself confess to a priest, so she finds herself someone to confide in; she strikes up a correspondence with a convicted murderer on death row in Texas. She knows he will understand.
Absolutely riveting. Appropriate for middle and high school teens, boys and girls. I haven’t cried so hard at the end of a book in a while, so the tear-jerker-ness will be sure to draw in the teens who go for those kinds of books.
-Kirsten Rundquist Corbett, Sandown PL
I was very interested in the premise of the book (girl with guilty secret writes to man on death row to try and absolve herself) and was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed. I wasn’t. Yes, it had some predictability regarding the secret and the ending, but I felt for the main character and her angst. There is some great tension and really engaging character dynamics. It’s worth picking up for the unique style.I liked the book as I feel it will make good discussion material for teens, and I didn’t want to put it down once I started. 4.5 stars out of 5 stars and I highly recommend for the Flume list.
~Kathy Watson, Kimball Library (Atkinson)