Jasper’s favorite person is his older brother, Callan. They go on fossil-finding missions and stay up late while their parents work nights. Callan even helped Jasper pick out his new name when he came out as trans.
But Callan starts to grow distant and leaves for college without taking Jasper on a promised fossil dig. Jasper feels abandoned―and angry. Who needs Callan? He will dig by himself, in his backyard. As he digs, he hears a voice: the bones of a saber-toothed tiger. He’s buried deep, and he wants Jasper to DIG.
Jasper is sure a discovery like this could change the world, or at least get Callan to text him back. But as the saber-toothed tiger finds freedom, Jasper realizes he may have unleashed a monster that no one was ready for, and that anger can empower you―or destroy you.---from the publisher
328 pages 978-1419777387 Ages 10-14
Keywords: novel in verse, brothers, abandonment, boys' issues, dealing with anger, fossils, transgender, monster, empowerment, saber tooth tiger, dealing with feelings, dealing with emotions, understanding your feelings, understanding yourself, 10 year old, 11 year old, 12 year old, 13 year old, 14 year old, Social Emotional Learning Curriculum, If You Liked Touching Spirit Bear
*******
Other reviews:
***STARRED REVIEW*** “Deeply cathartic; balances emotional depth with engrossing suspense.” ―Kirkus Reviews
***STARRED REVIEW*** “A heartening, deeply felt work.” ―Publishers Weekly
***STARRED REVIEW*** “Using a fascinating mixture of metaphor and reality, this verse novel explores the explosive nature of anger and the pain it can cause when left untended.” ―The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
