The Deepest Breath

Written by Meg Grehan

Narrated by Heather O'Neill

Eleven-year-old Stevie is an avid reader and knows a lot of things about a lot of things. She knows how to send Morse code through her bedroom wall to her
mom. She knows the names of the constellations. And she knows that an octopus has three hearts and nine brains. Knowing things makes her feel safe, powerful, and in control should anything bad happen.

But there’s one more thing Stevie doesn’t know, one thing she wants to understand above everything else, and one thing she isn’t quite ready to share
with her mom: the fizzy feeling she gets in her chest when she looks at her friend Chloe. What does it mean, and why isn’t she ready to talk about it?
In this poetic exploration of identity and anxiety, Stevie must confront her fears to find inner freedom, all while discovering it is our connections with others that make us stronger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705010501

Meg Grehan

Meg Grehan is a writer originally from County Louth, but is now hiding away in Donegal in the northwest corner of Ireland, with a very ginger girlfriend, an even more ginger dog, and an undisclosed number of cats (none of whom is ginger). In 2018, she won the Eillís Dillon award from Children’s Books Ireland. She is currently studying film and likes cake and rain; dislikes going outside.  Website: megcathwrites.wordpress.com Twitter & Instagram: @megcathwrites  

Reviews for The Deepest Breath

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved that this book is such a gentle questioning -- Stevie is at the beginning of her journey into figuring out that she has a crush on a girl, and it's totally age appropriate for kids. It's short, it's in verse -- both really accessible features. It also deals with anxiety and abandonment (her father has left and her mother is her sole parent) -- these are huge issues for LGBTQ kids, and Stevie has real concerns when her mother does not seem receptive to the idea of liking girls. It does a great job of calling out the kinds of messages that kids get every day from their parents -- sometimes inadvertently, sometimes not -- assumptions about marrying boys, assumptions about body image -- there's a lot that kids take in.

[bookwren · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully told, warm, and inspiring. The Librarian who helps Stevie epitomizes so many wonderful librarians. I love the short verse format that emphasizes words and thoughts at line breaks. Give this one to kids who are anxious and doubt themselves. I can't wait to read more of Meg Grehan's writing.

[krau0098 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Series Info/Source: I got an ARC for this through Amazon Vine to review. This is a stand alone book told in prose format.Story (4/5): Stevie is 11 years old and loves to read, she also has anxiety issues and can’t understand why she likes hanging out with her friend Chloe so much. We get to glimpse into Stevie’s life via the prose she writes as she works through these issues.Characters (4/5): I felt like Stevie came across as being a few years older than 11 (I have a 13 year old and Stevie feels like she’s more in the 13-15 year old range to me). However, I enjoyed getting to know Stevie through her prose. She suffers from anxiety issues and is trying to figure out why she likes girls instead of boys. I also really loved how supportive her mother was. The characters are generally well done.Setting (4/5): The setting was fine but not the point of the book, most of the setting is at Stevie’s house or her school.Writing Style (4/5): This whole book is written in freeform prose. It does a great job getting the story across and provides some excellent imagery around Stevie’s feelings and struggles. This was a very quick read for me.My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and am glad I read it. The prose format works well for Stevie’s story. This does a good job at looking at a character that suffers from anxiety and is trying to figure out her own sexuality in an environment that is supportive. It’s just a little slip of a book and took 20 minutes or so to read. I thought the impact of the book was well worth the time I put in to read it. However, I probably wouldn’t purchase it unless I knew someone with a special interest in the addressed issues because it was so short and doesn’t really cover any new ground. I would recommend borrowing it from the library if you are interested in the topics of coming-of-age identity and/or anxiety.