It is sometimes hard for me to read books like this as they still touch a raw nerve. I do remember, though, as a teen seeking out books like this one. I think I was somehow putting myself to the test. How would I handle this situation? Could I survive like Livy does? Now, I find some sort of comfort in these same books even though they might lead to tears. Cali and Corrie and Natalie are the same. We have read ELSEWHERE and THE LOVELY BONES and AFTERLIFE and wept, not just for the characters in the books, but for ourselves as well and our losses.
I hope THE DREAM JOURNAL makes it into the lives of many girls. For some, it will be comforting to read about a character surviving the ultimate loss. For others, it will serve as a test of sorts for how they might one day react to a similar situation.