My Brother's Shadow — Tom Avery

Fans of David Almond's "Skellig" and Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls" will embrace this deeply affecting middle grade novel in which a girl suffering from terrible grief befriends a mysterious wild boy.

"When I saw him that first time I screamed -- a small and silent scream, all inside, in my gut."

Eleven-year-old Kaia, who has felt isolated since her older brother committed suicide more than a year before, befriends a wild boy who mysteriously appears at her London school. Though the boy is mute and can only communicate with a flash of his gray eyes, he might be the friend Kaia needs to bring her through her grief.

Here's a fascinating story, which offers a fresh and completely original portrayal of loss and renewal.