The Shape of Thunder

Jasmine Warga’s The Shape of Thunder explores the aftermath of a devastating school shooting. The relationship of Cora and Quinn, neighbors and best friends, is strained when Quinn’s older brother, Parker, murders Cora’s older sister, Mabel, at their high school. They rediscover their friendship when Quinn and Cora attempt to time travel to stop the shooting. The Shape of Thunder received a Goodreads Choice Award and was shortlisted for the 2021 Goodreads Best Middle Grade & Children’s Book.

Content warning: The novel contains frequent references to gun violence and suicide. Furthermore, there is a strong implication that the violence depicted in the source material is motivated by racism.

Plot Summary

Cora Hamed celebrates her 12th birthday with her Dad and her grandmother, Grams. Notably absent is her older sister, Mabel, who died in a school shooting the previous year, as well as the person who was once her best friend, Quinn McCauley. Quinn’s older brother, Parker, killed Mabel in the school shooting, as well as two other people before he killed himself. For this reason, Cora and Quinn no longer talk, although both girls feel isolated in their grief and devastated by their respective losses.