Our Brothers at the Bottom of the Bottom of the Sea

Gr 9 Up—Kranz's debut novel immerses readers in the lives of two young adults overcoming tragedy. Rachel's loss of her brother, Curtis, leaves her searching for answers. When the police come to speak with her, her curiosity intensifies. She needs to know if it was his Down Syndrome, her decision to have him ride alone, or a malfunction that caused Curtis to die on that roller-coaster. Ethan lost his brother, Jason, to the sea, supposedly after falling into the ocean. While tagging property gives Ethan a purpose, he needs more. Like Rachel, Ethan is trying to find the truth or a reason why this happened. Through their own adventures and the friends they make along the way, the protagonists are able to find the answers they desperately crave. Kranz introduces many characters and story lines and ties them all together. Some confusion may occur because the identity of the narrator is unclear for a while, but it all makes sense at the book's conclusion.