Emma on fire

Emma Blake, beautiful, well liked, and intelligent, seems to have it all as a student at New Hampshire's prestigious Ridgemont Academy. However, her life is spiraling out of control following the death of her mother from breast cancer and her sister's more recent suicide. Emma's grief has enhanced her awareness of environmental, economic, and cultural problems facing society and the hopelessness she feels in light of such global catastrophes. She intends to shock her classmates and her online followers by ending her life publicly via self-immolation. The school seeks the aid of Emma's father, who remains blinded by denial. Her teachers, even her friends, say it's a drastic cry for help. But Emma doesn't want help, nor does she think what she's doing is wrong. She wants to make a difference now, since tomorrow's not guaranteed. VERDICT Patterson and Raymond (coauthors of Raised by Wolves) write a dramatic, quick-paced read that explores the power of grief, the questions left for the living after a loved one's suicide, and a statement that through loss there can be hope for the future.--Linsey Milillo