This book was great on so many levels. Drawing from [a:Judy Blume|12942|Judy Blume|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1430843076p2/12942.jpg]'s first-hand experience of the three rapid succession plane crashes that Elizabeth, New Jersey experienced in the early 1950s, the story is colored by prolonged tragedy and its impact on the community. I enjoyed the epistolary aspects of this novel--the newspaper blurbs at the beginning of each chapter provided color and detail, and the various points of view added depth to this story. While there are many moving parts, the true focus of this story is Miri, a girl who is about to graduate junior high in the midst of the town's plane crash chaos, experiencing her first love, struggling with her best friend, and encountering her estranged father for the first time. Blume has an amazing ability to capture life--from the day-to-day details to the thoughts, feelings, and dreams of ordinary folks--that make her books feel real and fully relateable, and this book is no exception. As a reader, I felt as if I were a full-on member of Miri's family and was sad to see the saga end.