All the Sunshine in the World

This nuanced, emotionally layered verse novel by Dubois (Ode to a Nobody) explores grief alongside the complicated role technology plays in middle schoolers’ lives. After white-cued 13-year-old Tolly’s older sister, Sunny, dies in a car crash that some believe was caused by Sunny’s distracted driving, Tolly and her parents struggle to connect with one another. Feeling isolated and burdened by the fear that her own texts to Sunny may have contributed to the accident, Tolly resolves to navigate eighth grade sans cellphone as she searches for concrete clues about the crash and contends with a strained relationship with her former best friend, Willa. Encouraged by a school counselor, Tolly starts the Luddite Club, whose mission of mindfulness finds kinship with those in the Outdoors Club. Among the Outdoors Club’s endearingly offbeat members is Khalil, a nature-loving classmate whose grief over his own loss helps Tolly realize that others too may be dealing with challenges like hers. As Tolly detaches herself from electronic devices and shifts her focus toward others, she discovers that grief doesn’t have to be shouldered alone. Spare verse lines balance a clear-eyed look at technology’s pitfalls with a nondidactic and nonjudgmental approach. The result is a thoughtful and quietly powerful story of loss and healing. Ages 9–12. Agent: Louise Fury, Bent Agency. (July)