Blue — L.E. DeLano

2021 SPARK Award Winner, Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI)

2021 NYC Big Book Awards Distinguished Favorite in Young Adult Fiction

When Blue Mancini's mother picked her name, it ended up being a self-fulfilling prophecy.

A year ago, Blue's brother, Jack, was involved in a car accident that killed the father of Blue's classmate, Maya Rodriguez. The fallout is now affecting Blue as Maya returns to school determined to make Blue's life a living hell. To add to the misery, Blue has a demanding mother, a father who's never around, a drama-addicted best friend, and a secretive new guy who's determined to make Blue his own personal cheer-up project.

When Maya's social media taunts and in-person digs finally push Blue to retaliate, they find themselves in afterschool detention and forced into a project meant to foster cooperation and civility. As the layers of their tangled drama unravel, Blue learns more about Maya's life-and her own sense of privilege-when secrets are revealed that cast a new perspective on everything in Blue's world.