The Shape of Thunder

Written by Jasmine Warga

Narrated by Reena Dutt and Jennifer Jill Araya

An extraordinary new novel from Jasmine Warga, Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home, about loss and healing—and how friendship can be magical.

Cora hasn’t spoken to her best friend, Quinn, in a year.

Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.

On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.

In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.

The Shape of Thunder is a deeply moving story, told with exceptional grace, about friendship and loss—and how believing in impossible things can help us heal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063087040

Jasmine Warga

Jasmine Warga is the New York Times bestselling author of Other Words for Home, a Newbery Honor Book and a Walter Honor Book for Younger Readers; The Shape of Thunder; and A Rover’s Story. Her teen books, Here We Are Now and My Heart and Other Black Holes, have been translated into over twenty-five languages. She lives in the Chicago area with her family. You can visit Jasmine online at jasminewarga.com.

Reviews for The Shape of Thunder

[Twins Yang · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Dear author, why is it a audio book? I will like to read it myself.

[acargile-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Shape of Thunder is a 2022 Lone Star novel.It happened a year ago. Cora's sister died. She hasn't spoken to her best friend Quinn in almost a year. Cora appears to be successfully living day to day. Her dad and grandmother have her seeing a therapist to deal with what happened, she participates with the Quiz Bowl Team, and she maintains her grades. Quinn, on the other hand, struggles. She refuses to try out for soccer, she hides in the library, and tries to avoid people. She wants to make up for what happened. She comes across an idea to fix everything that has ruined their lives.Cora and Quinn resume talking, but they aren't best friends like they used to be. Quinn presents Cora with a birthday gift that has an idea on how to fix what went wrong. Cora, someone who loves science, reads every article and begins to believe they can change what happened a year ago--it's scientifically possible! As the reader, you'll be so heartbroken, knowing that nothing will bring the dead back. Neither can move on--they are stuck wishing for what cannot be. I want to leave the plot there--I haven't said much at all--I'd rather you read and let the story unfold. I want to be very clear that I have a warning on this novel. If you've experiences violent trauma, this book may help you cope and connect with you or it might bring back the trauma and be difficult to handle emotionally. It's a really tough topic. The most disturbing character to me was Quinn's dad--I had a lot of emotions toward him that are too real world. I really liked Cora's dad and grandmother. The different family dynamics may pull your heart strings or could make you frustrated (which is how I felt with Quinn's dad). This novel tackles a very serious topic. I listened to the novel and was greatly moved by the story.