New to town, Brent Bishop longs to stroll around school with the popular Brianna on his arm. But when Brianna begs him at a party full of schoolmates to stop hounding her, Brentโs hopes are shattered. Trying to escape his humiliation, he attempts to destroy himself in a car crashโand ends up killing Lea, an innocent teen unfortunate enough to cross his path. Leaโs mother asks one thing of Brent: that he create four whirligigs from a picture of Lea and set them up at the four corners of the United States. Leaโs mother believes that by spreading the joy that whirligigs gave Lea as a child, Brent will keep Leaโs spirit alive. And so Brent goes off with an unlimited bus ticket and the tools he needs to memorialize Lea. On his journey, he rediscovers his own love of life, and he begins to realize howโlike the pieces that form the intricate whirligigsโpeople come together to affect each other in surprising ways.
Paul Fleischman's novels, poetry, picture books, and nonfiction are known for innovation and multiple viewpoints. He received the Newbery Medal for Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices and a Newbery Honor for Graven Images, and he was a National Book Award finalist for Breakout. His books bridging the page and stage include Bull Run, Seek, and Mind's Eye. For the body of his work, he's been the United States nominee for the international Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in California. www.paulfleischman.net.