Ruptured

by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz

The sensitive, suspenseful story of a family coping with a life-changing tragedy, told in stunning verse.

Is it wrong to grieve for someone who is still alive?

Claire’s mom and dad don’t talk to each other much anymore. And they definitely don’t laugh or dance the way they used to. Their tense, stilted stand offs leave thirteen-year-old Claire, an only child, caught in the middle. So when the family takes their annual summer vacation, Claire sticks her nose in a book and hopes for the best. Maybe the sunshine and ocean breeze will fix what’s gone wrong.

But while the family is away, Claire’s mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm—right after she reveals a huge secret to Claire. Though she survives the rupture, it seems like she is an entirely different person. Claire has no idea if her mom meant what she said, or if she even remembers saying it. With the weight of her mom’s confession on her shoulders, Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery.

Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents stay together? And if the answer to either question is yes, how will Claire learn to live with what she knows? This beautifully written novel speaks to kids’ fears and credits their strength, and stems from the author’s incredible experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms.

A South Carolina Book Award Nominee
An NCTE Notable Verse Novel
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

Genres: Middle Grade, Poetry, Realistic Fiction, Novel In Verse, Grief, Fiction, Contemporary

272 pages, Hardcover

First published November 14, 2023

About the author

Joanne Rossmassler Fritz has worked in a publishing company, a school library, and an Indie bookstore. Joanne started writing in school, but didn't get serious about it until she survived her first brain aneurysm rupture in 2005. She joined SCBWI and kept writing. Her second brain aneurysm rupture in 2017 was worse than the first, but she persevered. Her debut MG novel in verse, EVERYWHERE BLUE, released in 2021. Her second, RUPTURED, is out now.

Reviews

[Renee Godding · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous and heartfelt novel in verse about a young girl navigating the changes in her life and family, following her mother’s brush with death and recovery from a brain aneurysm.

"Lighthouses warn ships away from rocks, away from danger in a storm.
Their beacons shine through thick fog and light up the darkness.
I love the meaning.
Light equals hope, the hope that Mom could live."

What I loved:
It’s always incredibly powerful for me to see medically accurate and relatable representation for (chronic) illness and disability in children’s fiction. As a girl who grew up in the generation where those were topics not talked about in children’s books, as “kids wouldn’t understand anyways”, I desperately missed it, as it was such an important part of my real life.
Ruptured is a perfect example of the kind of representation of parental illness I would’ve loved to see. It’s heartfelt, accessible, not melodramatic, but doesn’t shy away from the “difficult” parts of coping with a sick parent either. It’s beautiful prose strikes a great balance of emotion, covering fear and sorrow, but also those highlights of joy, love and deep connection.
Claire herself encounters that same search for recognition and representation in books on page. Here she states another gap within the genre: “I need a book about a mother who survives”
“Sicklit”, especially catered to kids or teens, tends to end either one of two ways: a full recovery, or a heroic death. There’s no room for the more realistic version of events: the chronic state, the long recovery, the ups and downs, and the change it brings to your life no matter what. Ruptured covers that piece well, a little in the line of This Appearing House, although from a different perspective. Considering that was one of my favourite reads of last year, that’s comparison is a huge compliment.
I highly recommend this book to readers aged about 11 and up. Yes, grown-ups/parents who are interested in the topic: that includes you. This comes with a stamp of approval from both the medical accuracy side, as well as the personal one.

Many thanks to Holiday House Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes
the most profound statements
are the ones
without any words at all

This was a moving novel-in-verse that I finished in one sitting. I love the insight it offers into brain aneurysms and their lasting effects. I also enjoyed how the author explores family dynamics, grief and healing. Overall, the book is informative but also engaging and easy to digest, making it ideal for its target audience. I would love to hear the author's personal story about surviving two ruptured aneurysms someday.

[Laura Rueckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really lovely novel in verse that not only shows kids they can get through difficult times, but also that a serious illness doesn’t necessarily mean death. That can be so important for kids who have sick loved ones.

[Karen Hammond · Rating 5 out of 5]

My teen grandaughter and I read this together and both loved it. She appreciated it because it did not talk down to teens and she said that it was how she felt when we had a distressing diagnosis in our family. I loved it because it was so tender and understanding. Reading the authors notes at the end of the book added greatly to our understanding of the book.

[Christine Indorf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story told in verse, this book follows a family torn apart from a brain aneurysm and how they build their lives back together again. This book had a wonderful voice. It was beautifully written and I learn so much about this terrible disease. I also learned that this author suffered from brain aneurysm herself. Really a wonderful read. Definitely worth this 4 star rating!!

[Abigail♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. That ENDING! 😭 That was such a good ending oh my goodness. This book is so powerful 🥹

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the author of the emotion-packed Everywhere Blue comes another NIV for middle graders that will hit readers where their heart is. Claire and her parents have vacationed on the coast of Maine since she was 9 and as the years have gone by, the closeness between her parents has turned distant. During a mother-daughter outing, Mom reveals that the degree of distance has reached a critical point just before collapsing in the restaurant where they were eating. A diagnosis of ruptured brain aneurysm begins a recovery process that is slow, painful and full of personal grief and growth for not only Mom, but Claire and her dad as well. No other format conveys emotion as well as the carefully crafted words of a novel in verse and in Ruptured, Joanne R. Fritz is able to give readers a look into the heart and soul of a mother who is struggling to regain not only basic life skills but relationships with her daughter and husband plus the tangled emotions of a teenaged daughter with a secret that is tearing her up inside and a father who struggles to talk to others and express his feelings. Outstanding follow-up to a near perfect debut novel and with its absence of profanity, sexual content and violence will fit as nicely on the shelf of a 4th or 5th grader as it does on that of a junior high school student. Great addition to school and public library shelves and an excellent choice for those who enjoy traditional format books by Lindsay Stoddard and Barbara O’Connor or NIV such as Amanda Rawson Hill’s The Hope of Elephants or Chris Baron’s The Magical Imperfect.

Note #1-Don’t forget to read the end notes by the author!

Note #2-Teachers should keep a list of all the books and authors referenced by Claire and the librarians in her life and librarians should be sure to have all of them in their collections.

Thanks for the print arc, Holiday House and Joanne R. Fritz.

[Christiana Doucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Claire's mother has an aneurysm right after telling Claire a devastating secret, Claire struggles with whether she'll ever be able to share that secret with anyone else.

***Spoiler***

Claire's mother survives. Just as the author of this book survived her aneurysm. Claire's struggle to find parents who survive life threatening incidents in books was so relatable. I loved how seamlessly the author weaves in so much information about aneurysms, their treatment, and what recovery looks like. The information was accurate, nuanced, and emotionally compelling. I loved this story. And I love that kids will have this story available to them.

When I was a child, my mother had a blood clot during pregnancy, and blood poisoning that nearly killed her. Having representation of parents who survive life threatening illnesses like this is so valuable. And child me would have appreciated this book, and the way it showed just how grueling recovery can be.

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire is on vacation with both her parents in Maine, observing the widened rift between both of them as they go solo on activities, sometimes dragging her with either of them. Finally, her mom confesses to her that she’s planning on leaving her dad — exactly two seconds before she collapses due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. When Claire’s mom comes to, she doesn’t remember her last conversation with Claire and is forever changed emotionally and mentally. Now, Claire must cope with these changes while moving forward with the burden of her mom’s secret. This is a lovely verse novel with a book-loving protagonist who learns a lot about aneurysms after her mother’s experience. It will be invaluable to kids whose parents have experienced medical emergencies. There’s also a blossoming friendship with a boy, although it never progresses past platonic. Despite the age of its protagonist, this felt firmly middle grade to me.

[Suzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really beautifully written book about family in times of darkness and finding hope.
Claire's family is on vacation when her mother has a ruptured aneurysm. Claire feels like her family is ruptured too and finds it hard to see the light and hope of her mother getting better.
But with the help of her Aunt Bobbi and her new friend De'Shawn, whose mother went through the same thing, she starts to see light and hope in the world again.
I learned about aneurysms in this book and how they can affect the body and the brain.
I felt like Claire was a great character and has very real emotions in trying to just be a middle schooler, but also hold her family together.

A great read for all ages.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. PHENOMENAL. In this novel in verse, Claire is on vacation with her family in Maine. She and her mom are out to lunch, and her mom drops a huge, life-changing confession to her. As she says it, Claire’s mom gets ghostly pale, says her head hurts, and passes out. Unable to reach her father, who is fishing, Claire has to ride with her mom to a hospital an hour away, where her father meets them and they learn that her mom has had a brain aneurysm. Nothing is the same after that, with her mother in the hospital for weeks with memory loss. Claire keeps waiting, and hoping ahead doesn’t remember, what she told her before the aneurysm. Moving, thoughtful, sad, and hopeful. Hand to all readers in grades 5-8, particularly those who enjoyed Starfish or Red, White, and Whole.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A novel in verse for any middle grade reader who has ever faced an intense experience which caused them to grow up quickly - and with it feel the fear, loss, and hope that accompanies truly scary moments in life.

Joanne Rossmassler Fritz’s captivating book Ruptured releases in November!
- - - - -

“Sometimes
the most profound statements are the ones
without any words at all.”

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruptured is a powerful story of Claire, whose life forever changes when her mom has a brain aneurysm to rupture. Using her own experience as a survivor as the launching point, Rossmassler Fitz tells the gripping tale of unexpected change, overwhelming grief and the healing power of understanding and love. A page-turner you won’t soon forget.

[Tara Cahill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruptured is an example of why I love to read. It makes a family's struggle to support each other through a complex medical emergency unputdownable. Classified as a middle-grade novel, I'm middle-aged and read it with the gusto of a kid. Everywhere Blue is also by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz. Her writing is magic.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing novel in verse about Claire, whose mom suffers a ruptured brain aneurism one day when they are on vacation. Fritz explores what it is like to grieve what once was, and does a tremendous job of explaining what a brain aneurism is (the author had two aneurisms herself). I loved Claire and her love of books and reading as well.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book for middle schoolers about a teen who has to come to terms with with her mother's illness. She is also dealing with the personal information her mother shared with her before the illness struck. Very quick and easy read. Very heartwarming!

[Shelby Boswell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very emotional and touching story about a young girl whose mom is forever changed by a ruptured brain aneurysm. It handles the topic of grief and trauma in a realistic and relatable way - I recommend this to any middle or high school student.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A survivor of two aneurysms, Fritz captures the trauma and recovery journey of this difficult experience with accuracy and skill. A poignant novel-in-verse that gives children many examples of resilience amid scary life moments.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 2023 favorite-I was hooked from the start!

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book about a parent who suffers an aneurysm and survives.

Spendlid emotional book in verse where the author draws from her life experience suffering two aneurysms to write the story of a thirteen-year-old only child that is dealing with so many anxious events.

First, all the sadness, anxiety, and frustration come from the evident upcoming divorce of her parents. Then, during her vacation with them in a hostile cold mood relationship between the adults, her mother suffers an aneurysm.

Told in the first person, Claire is an amazing thirteen-year-old girl, stressed but reliable, responsible, and considerate. Still, it's so interesting that the authors show that Claire hurts a friend by being absent and selfish when we think her friend is the one keeping the distance. Sometimes life overwhelms us and friendships can hurt for lack of communication. Still, Claire is a great person who knows when to apologize. Before the aneurysm, we feel the same towards the parents who aren't paying attention to their children, focused on their problems and stress.

Amazing read, I will be looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-ARC.

[Tonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice look at what it's like for a child to witness their parent experience a severe medical event. Being written in verse instead of prose makes it quick and easy to get through. I do have a lightly heightened fear of getting a ruptured brain aneurysm though.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free review copy.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Holiday House/Peachtree/ Pixel+Ink, and Joanne Rossmassler Fritz for the opportunity to read Ruptured in exchange for an honest review.

Ruptured is a middle grade novel told in brilliant poetic verse. The story is told from Claire’s perspective. When an outing with her mom brings forth some unwanted information about the relationship between her mom and dad, Claire doesn’t know what to think. She’s devastated. She doesn’t want her parents to leave each other. Before she can dwell too much on the topic, Claire’s mother collapses with a severely sharp headache.

Claire learns that her mother has a brain aneurism. She learns about the survival rate and the different operations taken to reduce the bleeding in the brain. With her father by her side, Claire struggles with keeping the information her mom told her on their day out a secret. Claire makes a friend in the hospital, whose mother is also suffering from an aneurism. When her mother wakes up, she has a memory lapse and hallucinations, worrying Claire to no end. Even if she survives, will the person she is after the aneurism still be her mother? Will her mother remember what she said about not loving her father anymore? The most important thing to Claire is that her mother makes it. As a reader, she seeks a book in which the parent survives a brain aneurism, but cannot seem to find one, told more than once that maybe she will be the person to write that story. One can only hope.

An amazing hi-lo novel-in-verse about family dynamics, sudden medical emergencies, and coping when situations cross our path that are out of our control. I have never known anyone who has had an aneurism before, and it sounds rather frightening. It was interesting to learn about what they are and how they affect a person. The afterward was interesting as well. Fritz shares her own story of having an aneurism herself, using a fictional structure to share some of the experiences she actually had during that time in her life. An absolutely intriguing novel with an intriguing tale from the survivor who wrote it.

Ruptured is a story of family, friendship, and the meaning of the important aspects of life when the notion suddenly strikes that a life can end at any moment.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruptured
by Joanne Rossmassler Fritz
Pub Date 14 Nov 2023 |
Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink,Holiday House
Children's Fiction| Health, Mind & Body


Netgalley and Holiday House provided me with a copy of Ruptured:


Is grieving for someone still alive wrong?


Claire's parents aren't talking much. There is no laughter or dancing like there once was. Claire, a thirteen-year-old only child, is caught in the middle of their tense standoffs. So Claire sticks her nose in a book during the family's summer vacation. Maybe the sunshine and ocean breeze will fix everything. 


When Claire's mother reveals a huge secret to Claire, she ruptures a brain aneurysm while the family is away. Despite surviving the rupture, she seems entirely different. Her mom isn't sure if she meant what she said, or even if she remembers it. Claire must navigate fear, grief, and prospects for recovery after her mom's confession.


Will her mom ever be the same? Does her family stay together? How will Claire learn to live with what she knows if either question is yes? The author's incredible experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms inspired this beautifully written novel.


I give Ruptured five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novel in verse is the perfect way to capture the feelings portrayed in this book. While the family is away, Claire’s mother has a ruptured brain aneurysm- right after revealing a huge secret to Claire. Claire’s mom survives the rupture, but now Claire wonders if her mom meant what she said, or if she even remembers saying it. Will her mom ever be the same? Will her parents stay together?

As her mom struggles through rehabilitation. Claire tries to come to grip with what she knows all while wondering if her mom will ever be the same again.

“Is it wrong to grieve for someone who is still alive?” This beautifully written novel in verse stems from the author’s incredible experience surviving two ruptured aneurysms.

[Charlotte Sheer · Rating 5 out of 5]

As beautifully written as EVERYWHERE BLUE, this second verse novel by Joanne R. Fritz is perfectly paced and packed with emotion from the very beginning. While on vacation in an iconic coastal village in Maine, Claire's mom shares a grown-up secret, rattling her daughter's sense of family, just moments before the mom suffers a brain aneurism right there in the restaurant where the two are having lunch. The cycles of uncertainty Claire endures are not unlike what readers her age may have experienced when a family member has been stricken with serious illness.

The medical topic at the heart of this sensitive, hopeful story evolves from the author's first-hand knowledge and experience as a two-time survivor, as revealed in the Author's Note.
There is so much to love about this story!

[Jaime Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of this author's debut, EVERYWHERE BLUE and loved RUPTURED just as much. This beautifully written, lyrical novel-in-verse follows Claire after her mother suffers a ruptured brain aneurysm. Of all the elements I love about this author's writing--the complicated family dynamics, the well-drawn friendships, complex characters-- I loved the honest depiction of recovery and how it impacts the family in this novel the most. An important book that will mean a lot to kids with parents suffering from serious health issues and a must-read for fans of NIV. Highly recommend this poignant, thoughtful book!

[Katie Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tender middle grade novel in verse told from the perspective of Claire, a thirteen year old only child, who’s on vacation with her parents in Maine when her mom suffers from a ruptured brain aneurysm. Because of the author’s own life experiences, the book does not shy away from medical accuracies with both the patient and the family. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end!

And, as a middle grade classroom teacher, I really appreciated the book references that came into play throughout the story, including:
The Line Tender
Falling Over Sideways
The Tale of Despereaux
The One and Only Ivan
Tuck Everlasting
Long Way Down

[bjneary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being an only child isn't always great; Claire loves to read books and this summer she wants to do a lot of that but when her parents (who do not talk much to each other anymore) want to go to a vacation, Claire is all in. At a mother-daughter lunch Claire is astonished at a secret her mom has, but even worse---at that lunch her mom passes out & is hospitalized for a brain aneurysm. Will Claire be able to keep the secret and what will her mom be like after this??? A must read middle grade novel in verse based in part on the author's 2 brain aneurysms! Gripping and authentic!

[Meg Eden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really appreciated this book, but not sure I understood why the protagonist has to apologize to her friend for being distant/not as thoughtful as usual when going through such a difficult situation with her mom? It felt like such a strange detail that didn't need to be there, or could've had more nuance. Sometimes we're imperfect friends, and should have room to extend grace to each other. But this book covers such an important issue, and is overall a powerful read.