Author(s): Erin Stewart

Young Adult

Everyone has scars. Some are just easier to see ... 16-year-old Ava Lee is heading back to school one year after a house fire left her severely disfigured. She's used to the names, the stares, the discomfort, but there's one name she hates most of all: Survivor. What do you call someone who didn't mean to survive? Who sometimes wishes she hadn't? When she meets a fellow survivor named Piper at therapy, Ava begins to feel like she's not facing the nightmare alone. Piper helps Ava reclaim the pieces of Ava Before the Fire, a normal girl who kissed boys and sang on stage. But Piper is fighting her own battle for survival, and when Ava almost loses her best friend, she must decide if the new normal she's chasing has more to do with the girl in the glass--or the people by her side.  The beautiful, life-affirming debut from Erin Stewart that's being called the YA answer to Wonder. Perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nicola Yoon and John Green.

Review by Fantine;

'Ava survived a house fire that took her family from her and left her permanently scarred, inside and out. After months of invasive surgeries and group therapy she reluctantly agrees to go back to high school with the goal to attract as little attention as possible, which proves difficult when the confident, enigmatic Piper takes Ava under her wing. A beautiful, moving novel about our perception of self, and the burden of healing that is always easiest when shared. Perfect for fans of Wonder. I cried a lot.'

- Fantine, Bookseller at Collins Moonee Ponds