The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga – Book Review

Title: The Shape of Thunder Author: Jasmine Warga Publisher: Balzar + Bray Release Date: May 11, 2021

Cora and Quinn used to be best friends. They were inseparable. They were Cora and Quinn. Cora and Quinn. CoraandQuinn. That is until Quinn’s older brother, Parker, kills Cora’s sister Mabel (and himself) in a school shooting. Now, the two 6^th graders do not speak. Meanwhile, both must cope with losing a sibling, their grief, their trauma, and their guilt. While Cora leans on the support of her family and therapist, Quinn is on her own. As a result, she hatches a plan to “fix everything,” giving this possibility to Cora for her birthday. Cora reluctantly works with Quinn to make the impossible possible as they confront the past in the hopes it just may change the future.

The Shape of Thunder by Jasmine Warga is riveting, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking novel. Told from Cora and Quinn’s alternating perspectives, the story explores the grief, trauma, and aftermath of a school shooting. That torturous past coupled with complex characters will leave readers with more questions than answers. This is okay. In Warga’s hands, it is also effective. Warga’s powerful spaces of uncertainty will prompt readers to talk about the novel’s tough topics, topics that are really hard to talk about, really hard to confront. The characters steel themselves to accomplish impossible things simply because they believe it just might be possible to realize them. Similarly, The Shape of Thunder just may start a conversation that begins to solve issues around violence and youth, an impossible and tragic problem confronting us all right now.

To teach The Shape of Thunder requires audacity. It is also important to realize though its subject matter is not unfamiliar to students that live in an age where violence in schools is sadly more and more common. The issue has been forced upon our children today. Engaging with it through the novel will spark challenging conversations relevant to their lives. Doing so in a truthful manner will require us to deeply reflect on society’s failure to stop school shootings. It will also require deep consideration of the complex aftermaths that follow filled with grief, guilt, and loneliness. The topics cannot be ignored, like the novel itself. The Shape of Thunder will leave an indelible impression upon its readers. And for that, it will surely be one of the most read books during the 21’-’22 school year and beyond.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, Balzar + Bray, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Teacher Collaboration – Teach the novel with the guidance of the school counselor to address topics of grief, trauma, and violence in schools.
• Cross-Curricular Exploration – Teach the novel in conjunction with a study about time travel, wormholes, or gun violence.
• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading realistic fiction.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• School Shootings
• History of Gun Laws
• Time Travel
• Wormholes

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with The Shape of Thunder. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• Clues to the Universe by Christina Li (Character Connections, Themes, Nonfiction Connections)
• Many Points of Me by Caroline Gertler (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• My Heart and Other Black Holes by Jasmine Warga (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)

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