Linda Vigen Phillips

"My hands aren't the same hands as before. Even my friends feel different."Piano prodigy Claire Fairchild, 14, has always known music would be her life. So when she has the opportunity to enter a prestigious contest, she goes all in--until she realizes she's also competing against Juan, a close childhood friend and one of the most talented musicians she knows. It doesn't help that her thoughts about him are turning romantic. When Claire and her family receive a devastating blow from Batten disease, her world enters a tailspin. Claire decides her musical goals no longer seem relevant. She can't reconcile the joy that music would bring to her life while her brothers succumb to an early and ugly death. Her decision puts everything at risk: her friendship with Juan, her parents' expectations, and her own happiness.After Claire accompanies a friend on a school newspaper assignment, she meets a centenarian with a surprising musical past and only one regret in life. Claire knows something in her life has to change before it's too late, but she's not sure she has the courage to take the next step.

A compelling novel-in-verse about mental illness, family relationships, and the power of art. -YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee -NYPL Best Book -Bank Street Best Books -Paterson Prize Honor Book -Foreword IndieFab Awards--Gold In 1960s Oregon, fifteen-year-old Laura just wants a quiet, regular life: drawing in her sketchbook, hanging out with her best friend, maybe going on a date with Dennis from school. But Laura has a secret--her mother is mentally ill. When Mother has a breakdown while painting, Laura's confusion and anger start to build. What if art can't keep her safe from becoming like her mother? What if Laura's life will never be close to normal? Stirring and eloquent, Crazy follows Laura as she navigates fears about her mother's--and her own--mental health. This new tenth anniversary edition includes discussion questions, recommended resources for teens, and an interview with author Linda Vigen Philips.

Thoughts at Crossings reflects the way Linda Vigen Phillips has always dealt with life's raw truths-through the language of poetry. Her debut novel-in-verse, Crazy, painted a picture of a mother's mental illness from a teenage point of view, while this new collection takes a firmly adult stance: a woman looking back with wise eyes on the scars and tragic lessons of childhood abuse.

"My hands aren't the same hands as before. Even my friends feel different." Claire Fairchild, 14, has always known music would be her life. So when she has the opportunity to enter a prestigious contest, she goes all in--until she realizes she's also competing against Juan, a close childhood friend and one of the most talented musicians she knows. It doesn't help that her thoughts about him are turning romantic. When Claire and her family receive a devastating blow from Batten disease, her world enters a tailspin. Claire decides her musical goals no longer seem relevant. She can't reconcile the joy that music would bring to her life while her brothers succumb to an early and ugly death. Her decision puts everything at risk: her friendship with Juan, her parents' expectations, and her own happiness. After Claire accompanies a friend on a school newspaper assignment, she meets a centenarian with a unique musical past and only one regret in life. Claire knows something in her life has to change before it's too late, but she's not sure she has the courage to take the next step.