Whirligig

This beautifully fashioned novel tells the story of Brent Bishop, a shallow teen whose drunken attempt at suicide results in the death of another teen girl. At the suggestion of her mother, Brent takes a summer bus trip to the four corners of the United States, building whirligigs along the way as acts of penitence. What makes this book stand out, however, is Fleischman's inclusion of the voices of individuals who are later able to find their own versions of redemption through their interactions with the whirligigs Brent has left behind. These varied and organizationally disjointed voices–we never know exactly when or in what order these characters will appear in the novel–give the novel a depth and texture that will resonate with adults and more sophisticated teen readers.