More Than We Can Tell

by Brigid Kemmerer

Overview

* "Give to teens who enjoyed . . . The Perks of Being a Wallflower." - School Library Journal, starred review

New York Times bestselling author Brigid Kemmerer pens a new must-read story of two teens struggling under the burden of secrets, and the love that sets them free.

With loving adoptive parents by his side, Rev Fletcher has managed to keep the demons of his past at bay. . . until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue's parents are constantly fighting, and her only escape is the computer game she built from scratch. But when a cruel online troll's harassment escalates, she not only loses confidence but starts to fear for her safety.

When Rev and Emma meet, they're both longing to lift the burden of their secrets. They connect instantly and deeply, promising to help each other no matter what. But soon Rev and Emma's secrets threaten to crush them, and they’ll need more than a promise to find their way out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681190143
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	03/06/2018
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	330,700
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	HL480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Brigid Kemmerer is the New York Times bestselling author of the Cursebreakers series, Call It What You Want, More Than We Can Tell, Letters to the Lost, and the Elementals series. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside in Cleveland, Ohio, and several stops in between, eventually settling near Annapolis, Maryland.
www.brigidkemmerer.com
@BrigidKemmerer

Editorial Reviews

01/15/2018
Emma is a gamer who codes her own games, much to the chagrin of some of the young men who play them. When one user begins trolling her with increasing intensity at the same time her parents’ marriage falls apart, Emma unexpectedly turns to Rev, a neighbor with his own difficulties: his abusive, religious biological father wants to reconnect with him. Emma and Rev bond over their respective secrets, both harassed online by people who are leaving them increasingly fearful. Alternating between the teens’ perspectives, Kemmerer (Letters to the Lost) does a good job of fleshing out their worlds beyond their interactions with each other: Emma’s immersion in gaming culture includes a flirtatious online friendship with a player named Ethan, and Rev builds an engaging and hopeful relationship with the mistreated 14-year-old foster kid his parents have taken in. Readers will find it easy to fall into Rev and Emma’s lives as romance hovers between them and they confront the violence of their past and present. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mandy Hubbard, Emerald City Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"Has the sweetness of the usual sensitive- boy-meets-headstrong-girl love story touched by the drama of current events." - BCCB

"An absorbing, emotional roller coaster of a read. Readers looking for a different sort of coming-of-age story or teen protagonists grappling with complex situations will fall in love with this romance-tinged novel." - Starred review, Booklist

"A must-have for any YA collection. Give to teens who enjoyed A Boy Called It by Dave Pelzer or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky." - Starred Review, School Library Journal

"Masterfully shows (not tells) what suffering looks like . . . Kemmerer seamlessly weaves wisdom into the story." - VOYA

"Family dysfunction, anxiety, and PTSD from long-term abuse are all believably conveyed. . . A timely, suspenseful, well-written page-turner with compelling main characters." - Kirkus Reviews

"Readers will find it easy to fall into Rev and Emma’s lives as romance hovers between them and they confront the violence of their past and present." - Publishers Weekly

"The characters are well developed and . . . anticipation and curiosity build throughout." - School Library Connection

"This book is going to fly off the shelves to all teens, but it will hold special interest for those looking for a tear-jerking romance and serious readers of realistic fiction." - VOYA on LETTERS TO THE LOST

"A great concept, delivered in a compulsively readable package . . . romance readers will stay up late to finish this very satisfying and heartfelt read." - Booklist on LETTERS TO THE LOST

"Explores the ideas of carving identity out of pain and the way perception colors expectations." - BCCB on LETTERS TO THE LOST

"Readers will find themselves rooting for the real Declan to win Juliet’s heart the same way his online persona did. Consider this tale of modern star-crossed love as a first purchase for YA collections." - School Library Journal on LETTERS TO THE LOST

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Emma Blue inherited a passion for gaming and video game development from her father. His work often keeps him working long hours with little time for his family. Emma's mother is also a workaholic who strongly disapproves of Emma's interests. Motivated by a school project and a desire to gain some attention from her neglectful parents, Emma creates an entire video game on her own. OtherLANDS is an elaborate Internet-based game that has attracted a following of over 200 people; but she wants it to be perfect before it is unveiled to her overly critical mother and disinterested father. When players in the game start to cause problems for her in her real life, Emma feels like she has no one until she meets a strange boy in the churchyard. Rev Fletcher wears long-sleeve hooded sweatshirts even in the summer heat, because scars from his childhood cover his body. Now that he is living with his loving adoptive family, the emotional and mental scars from years of abuse are also hidden. Rev's past comes back to haunt him when his abusive father sends him a letter on his 18th birthday. Not wanting to burden his parents, Rev has no one to talk to until he meets a strange girl in the churchyard. A companion to author's Letters to the Lost, this is a riveting story told in alternating chapters. Rev and Emma's characters are engaging and well developed. Readers who enjoyed the previous volume will find even more to love in this novel, as it fully explores one of the characters with more depth. This title also stands alone for those who are new to Kemmerer's work. VERDICT A must-have for any YA collection. Give to teens who enjoyed A Boy Called It by Dave Pelzer or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.—Ellen Fitzgerald, Naperville Public Library, IL

School Library Journal

2017-12-03
An accidental meeting leads to romance for two anxious teens; sharing secrets, they discover each is being stalked.Rev wears hoodies to cover scars left by his abusive father a decade earlier; successful adoption hasn't healed Rev's invisible scars, either. When Rev turns 18, his father initiates contact. His increasingly ominous emails reawaken Rev's nightmarish memories. Meanwhile, Emma's proud of the computer game she designed, an escape from her parents' foundering marriage. When a player/troll intrudes with obscene, threatening messages, she turns to a friendly player, who offers help. She mends a frayed friendship too, but her parents' marriage proves unfixable. The teens' connection is a balm for Rev and Emma, even as each inflicts unintended pain. The troubled teen Rev's parents take in as a short-term foster placement brings horrific baggage, adding to Rev's stress. Rev and Emma fear growing into their parents. Could Rev become his violent father? Might Emma morph into her cold, sniping mother? Family dysfunction, anxiety, and PTSD from long-term abuse are all believably conveyed. Frustratingly, in contrast to the well-crafted white characters (Rev, Emma, and most others), Rev's black, adoptive parents are "magical Negroes." Saintly, loving, infertile middle-class professionals, they're generic, place-holder avatars. Unlike Emma's vivid, problematic parents, Rev's lack individual traits or lives separate from their adjunct role, and the narrative is largely oblivious to race.A timely, suspenseful, well-written page-turner with compelling main characters and one notable flaw. (Fiction. 13-17)

Kirkus Reviews

Read More