Kiss of Broken Glass

July 14, 2014
Kuderick debuts with a verse novel about a teenager’s cutting addiction, which is inspired by her own daughter’s struggle with self-mutilation. After 15-year-old Kenna is caught slicing up her body with the blade of a pencil sharpener in the school bathroom, she is thrown into mandatory 72-hour detention at the Adler Boyce Pediatric Stabilization Facility. Amid familiar descriptions of psych-ward woes and patients’ attempts to get out by faking compliance, Kuderick unpacks Kenna’s motives: jealousy of her older half-sister; the influence of the “Sisters of the Broken Glass,” a group of cutters at school led by Kenna’s best friend; a fleeting sense of euphoria and belonging that cutting brings; and “absolutely no reason at all.” At times, the theme of clueless adults versus angry, misunderstood kids can be heavy-handed, and references to Florida’s Baker Act (which allows for Kenna’s involuntary institutionalization) aren’t given much context. Nevertheless, Kenna’s situation and tentative steps toward recovery as she begins to face her demons may open the eyes of some readers. Ages 14–up. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic.

June 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-This novel in verse offers snapshots of a teen girl's thoughts and experiences while under mandatory psychiatric watch after being caught in the school bathroom cutting herself. As she struggles to come to terms with whether or not her problem can be classified as an addiction, Baker tries to put her situation in perspective by comparing it to those of the other teens she meets in the hospital psych ward. In flashbacks, readers witness her strained family relationships and her difficulty in finding a group of friends at school, all triggers leading up to her self-harm issues. Each word of the narrative is carefully chosen and the imagery is vivid and descriptive, offering readers a moving story about a serious issue. Mild language and scenes of mutilation are included, adding authenticity to the characterization and the treatment of the subject. The ending is fairly open-ended making this story a great discussion starter for teens, families, and educators. Back matter includes a note in which the author discusses her inspiration for writing this difficult tale. A resources section with reliable websites and phone numbers for anyone struggling with self-harm issues is included.-Samantha Lumetta, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2014
Told in finely tuned free verse, this story about self-injury portrays an unusual root cause for cutting: peer pressure. "So here's the thing about being Baker Acted," opens narrator Kenna, referring to a real-life Florida law called the Baker Act, which allows for involuntary psychiatric institutionalization for up to 72 hours. Kenna's sent straight there when a friend catches her cutting herself in the school bathroom. Kenna's steamed, because the girl who told on her is a cutter too, as is their whole social circle. Girls compare scars and slits, sharing tips for hiding pins and stealing blades. In what Kenna calls the Sisters of the Broken Glass, girls crowd around at lunch, "looking at my cuts, rubbing my shoulders, / dabbing me with I-feel-so-bad-for-you ointment." Kenna has no single, specific inner trauma, only various (valid) unhappinesses; she feels like "just a copycutter. / A follower who did it to fit in. / And now I can't stop." Now she finds her scars "[p]retty as pink pearls" and craves the adrenaline: Cutting's "like energy / moving through my body / in waves. // Rushing. / Cleansing." Despite hipster references (John Green, Tony Hawk, Tumblr, Twitter), the simple characterizations could have made for a generic problem novel, but Kuderick's keen diction and free-verse technique shine. Readers will devour this exposure of anorexia's cultural cousin. (author's note, resources) (Verse fiction. 14-16)

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October 15, 2014
Grades 8-12 Caught cutting in the school bathroom, 15-year-old Kenna finds herself subject to a mandatory 72-hour psychiatric hold. In the adolescent ward of a Florida hospital, she begins to confront the pressures that led to her self-harming behaviors. Kuderick's debut novel is intense, personal, and stems from her daughter's experience, lending a depth of understanding and empathy to the first-person narrative. Short free verse poems follow Kenna's hospitalization from admittance to release and address many issues, including other patients and their illnesses, Kenna's cutting history, what triggers her need to cut, and her family's decidedly dysfunctional dynamics. Though Kenna initially describes herself as a copycat cutter without any real problems, who bows to the peer pressure of her self-harming social group, her hospitalization and therapy begin to open the door to greater self-awareness and a desire to get well. The hopeful but open-ended conclusion will inspire discussion and reflection. A heartfelt author's note explains the novel's genesis and offers resources for help.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2014
After she gets caught cutting herself in the school bathroom (her classmates "like to compare / their scars / and their slits / and their checkerboard ankles"), fifteen-year-old Kenna is "Baker Acted"--carted off to a psychiatric ward for a mandatory observation period. Kenna depicts her seventy-two hours of involuntary hospitalization in tense free-verse vignettes that focus on her fellow patients (some Baker Acted themselves, others battling more long-term and severe conditions) and the small, terrifying moments that feel more like punishment than treatment ("nothing I can do but / stand there in that flimsy gown / with all my feelings hanging out"). She receives counseling and attends group therapy sessions, but most of her growth comes after hours of imposed, reluctant self-contemplation. In plaintive, private monologues, Kenna finally considers just how untenable her life has become and decides to confront her intensifying relationship with cutting. Through her sympathetic protagonist, Kuderick considers the subculture of teen self-harm with a steady, nonjudgmental eye that neither vilifies nor sensationalizes. A fresh, honest, and ultimately hopeful story. jessica tackett macdonald

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2015
After getting caught cutting herself at school, fifteen-year-old Kenna is "Baker Acted"--carted off to a psychiatric ward for a mandatory observation period. Kenna depicts her seventy-two hours of involuntary hospitalization in tense free-verse vignettes. Through her sympathetic protagonist, Kuderick considers the subculture of teen self-harm with a steady, nonjudgmental eye that neither vilifies nor sensationalizes.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)