Before the storm, thirteen-year-old Quinn was happy flying under the radar. She was average. Unremarkable. Always looking for an escape from her house, where her bickering parents fawned over her genius big brother.

Inside our broken home

we didn’t know how broken

the world outside was.

After the storm, Quinn can’t seem to go back to unremarkable. But her friends weren’t changed by the tornado. To them, the storm left behind a playground of abandoned houses and distracted adults. As Quinn struggles to find stability in the tornado’s aftermath, she must choose: between

homes, friendships, and versions of herself.

Nothing that was mine

yesterday is mine today.

Told in rich, spectacular verse, poet Caroline Brooks DuBois crafts a powerful story of redemption as Quinn makes her way from Before to After. This emotional coming-of-age journey for middle grade readers proves that it’s never too late to be the person you want to be.