Fans of David Almond’s <i>Skellig</i> and Patrick Ness’s <i>A Monster Calls</i> will embrace this deeply affecting middle grade novel in which a girl suffering from terrible grief befriends a mysterious wild boy.<br><br> <i>When I saw him that first time I screamed—a small and silent scream, all inside, in my gut. </i>Eleven-year-old Kaia, who has felt isolated since her older brother committed suicide more than a year before, befriends a wild boy who mysteriously appears at her London school. Though the boy is mute and can only communicate with a flash of his gray eyes, he might be the friend Kaia needs to bring her through her grief. <br><br>Here’s a fascinating story, which offers a fresh and completely original portrayal of loss and renewal.<br><br>"Avery creates an impressive account of tragedy, and his gentle, melancholic prose establishes the perfect tone for his tale of despair and renewal. Fans of realistic fiction, especially dealing with emotionally jarring, disturbing events, will surely devour Avery’s latest." —<i>School Library Journal<br><br></i>"[Kaia's] confessional narration and self-aware observations yield a believable and haunting portrait of grief." —<i>Publishers Weekly</i>