The Deepest Blue

Gr 8 Up—After his dad, a fishing charter boat captain, is killed in an automobile accident, 16-year-old Michael wants to live with his father's girlfriend, who has been like a real mother to him for the last 10 years. However, his biological mom, who rejected him when he was five, appears and demands that he come live with her clear across the country. A battle for custody ensues, which the teen can win or lose depending on how well he can control his emotions in court under the grueling questioning of his mother's attorney. The emotional turmoil of the days between the accident and the funeral are told with deliberate slowness in Mike's honest first-person narrative. Juxtaposed with the breathtaking speed of the legal procedures that follow, the boy's overwhelming grief and panic while trying to deal with the court system are tangible. The tension builds and doesn't relent until the judge pronounces her decision. Justesen's adept descriptions are tedious at times, but the characters are well drawn and realistic, especially the protagonist's friends, who are as supportive as they know how to be. This gripping, heart-wrenching story will show readers what it's like to suffer a great loss and survive.—Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC