Bang by Barry Lyga

This is a book about gun violence and suicide and guilt and desperation. But it's also about YouTube videos and making pizza and a Muslim girl and smart kids having great conversations. I read this book knowing nothing about it. I recommend not even reading the blurb in the front of the book. But if you must know the plot, Sebastian is a 14-year-old boy haunted by an incident that happened when he was four years old. His father left a gun out, and Sebastian picked it up and shot and killed his baby sister. That event consumes him and his family, and he is convinced that his only option is to kill himself. This story takes place during the summer, when Sebastian's best friend is away and he meets a new girl in the neighborhood who convinces him to make online cooking videos. Much like in the book A Monster Calls, these characters come to a point where they must say out loud the unspeakable truth. Read the first pages and you will be hooked by Barry Lyga's writing. It's powerful and it comes to a beautiful, cathartic conclusion. I can't wait to give this to my eighth grade book club.