Rachel, having chosen to be mute following the sudden death of a classmate, shares responsibility with the other sixth-graders who decide not to report that the substitute teacher failed to show up.
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i read this book first back in fourth grade, i liked it but didn't think all that much of it. i've come back to it several times since, and especially now i'm struck by how much deep meaning there really is in it. how the struggles of each character is explored. maybe the writing is geared for a younger audience but i think the reason i keep coming back is those deeper themes, the burdens we all carry, the importance of forgiveness. it's a really short book but i just love it so much.
edit Jan 2025: Now I'm thinking again about this book. Rachel's desire to fly, her selective mutism, Bastian tying his personality to his father being in the Air Force... Honestly this is such a comfort read and the older I get the more I feel like I understand it.
