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A review by shannonsnextchapter
The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan
Told through accessible verse, The Deepest Breath by Meg Grehan is a warm, gentle story of reassurance and open-mindedness. The book uses free-verse poetry to maintain a strong sense of lyricism as it details the life of eleven-year-old Stevie, who is on a journey a of self-discovery.
Stevie, The Deepest Breath’s main character, has plenty of anxieties. She worries about whether her mum is happy. She worries about all the things there are to know. She worries about the ocean and the many strange and mystifying creatures that live there. Increasingly, Stevie also worries that she won’t get married to her best friend, Andrew, like her mum jokes that she will. Stevie worries about the warmth in her chest that she thinks might be a crush on her friend Chloe.
Meg Grehan’s poetry allows Stevie to sift through her worries and search for answers to her questions. Maybe the ocean doesn’t have to be so scary if Stevie can learn more about it, and maybe it really is a crush that Stevie has on Chloe, whose eyes are bright and whose nails are painted a different colour each week.
The Deepest Breath is a short middle-grade novel-in-verse, and it’s written for young queer readers. Looking for something quick, gentle, and lyrical? The Deepest Breath might be the book for you!
Thank you to the wonderful teams at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!
Stevie, The Deepest Breath’s main character, has plenty of anxieties. She worries about whether her mum is happy. She worries about all the things there are to know. She worries about the ocean and the many strange and mystifying creatures that live there. Increasingly, Stevie also worries that she won’t get married to her best friend, Andrew, like her mum jokes that she will. Stevie worries about the warmth in her chest that she thinks might be a crush on her friend Chloe.
Meg Grehan’s poetry allows Stevie to sift through her worries and search for answers to her questions. Maybe the ocean doesn’t have to be so scary if Stevie can learn more about it, and maybe it really is a crush that Stevie has on Chloe, whose eyes are bright and whose nails are painted a different colour each week.
The Deepest Breath is a short middle-grade novel-in-verse, and it’s written for young queer readers. Looking for something quick, gentle, and lyrical? The Deepest Breath might be the book for you!
Thank you to the wonderful teams at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC!