The Memory Jar

Gr 8 Up—Seventeen-year-old Taylor and her boyfriend have been in a snowmobile accident that has left him in a coma, and she can't remember what happened. What's worse is she's pregnant and she was just about to break up with him—now what is she going to do? She doesn't exactly want him to die, but she does want him to forget. Taylor struggles to keep her secret while she tries to remember what happened on that fateful night. Taylor doesn't have the greatest life with her stressed-out mom on a very small income. Her one hope is to go to college and make something of herself to get out of Sterling Creek, MN, a small town almost in Canada. Will Taylor have the baby and forget her dreams or have an abortion? Will Scott survive or even come out of the coma? Hoole creates a believable, relatable cast of characters. Told in first person with multiple narrators and chapters that jump forward and backward in time, the mystery is well-crafted and compelling. With short chapters and sentences, the tension builds to make readers wonder what is going on. This thoughtful psychological tale will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the last page.