4.5/5 Stars: ‘Before the Ever After’ by Jacqueline Woodson.
→ Age Range: Middle Grade.
→ Genre: Verse, Family Contemporary.
→ Trigger Warnings: Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, Hospitalisation, Blood.

In-depth Rating:
→ Plot: ★★★★
→ Character Development: ★★★★★
→ Setting: ★★★★
→ Entertainment Level: ★★★★★
→ Writing: ★★★★★

General Comments: A poignant and achingly beautiful narrative shedding light on the price of a violent sport; using spare and lyrical language for the present-tense narration. It skilfully portrays the confusion, fear, and sadness when a family member suffers from an under-researched, and unfamiliar brain injury. The well-rounded secondary cast complete a mosaic of a loving family and community. Heart-breaking.

Favourite Quote: ‘‘When you love a thing, little man,’ Dad said. ‘You gotta love it with everything you got. Till you can’t even tell where that thing you love begins and where you end.’’

Time Read: Two Days.
→ Audiobook: No.
→ Audiobook Narrator: -