Jane is the plain, quiet younger sister, always overshadowed by her beautiful, perfect older sister Lizzie. Jane only sees the good parts of Lizzie's life though, and she has no clue that Lizzie's thinness is a sign that something is seriously wrong. When the story begins on Jane's 12th birthday, Lizzie loses her battle with anorexia, first mentally, and then a few days later, physically. Jane must come to grips with what Lizzie's death means to her family -- and hope that her family survives this tragic loss. Over the summer, Jane's mother leaves to go visit her parents, and Jane and her father stay home with the new puppy, Kona. Together and separately, they begin to rebuild their shattered family. One of Jane's birthday gifts is a digital camera, and she discovers that she is a gifted photographer. She's finally found something that sets her apart, and allows her to feel like a valuable part of her family and community. This is a well-written story that shows you the hidden side of eating disorders -- how they affect others in the family. It's hopeful and honest, and I highly recommend it. 6th grade and up. ( )

In the novel, Jane in Bloom by Deborah Lytton emcompasses the theme of you never really lose someone who is in your heart. in the beginning, Jane struggles with being overshadowed by her "perfect" older sister , Lizzy. Throughout the middle, Lizzy has passed away due to her anorexia and an overdose of pain meds. Jane has to perservere through the falling apart of her family and the greif of her sister. Until she meets Ethel who shows Jane a healty way to heal over her sister's death. In the end, Jane's famil comes back together and jane has even made a little memorial for her sister to remind her that she is always there in her heart. ( )

This is a moving and elegant depiction of an ordinary family crippled by the loss of a child, and their struggle to recover their equilibrium and get on with their lives. The book focuses on twelve-year-old Jane, the protagonist and narrator, but Jane's parents and her older sister (who dies, perhaps intentionally, in the throes of an eating disorder) are fully drawn characters as well. The book is quite short and the voice definitely sounds like that of a normal preteen, but there is great depth and many layers to this story, and adults can appreciate it as well as teenagers.

I would recommend this in particular to young people grieving the loss of a sibling. I would definitely read this author again. ( )

Devastated when her beautiful, older sister dies from anorexia, twelve-year-old Jane recovers slowly from the tragedy, with help from unexpected sources. ( )

A bitter but sweet family story about family and friends, life and death. Could a new puppy help a young pre-teen process grief or will it lead to the parents' divorce? Is pursuit of academic excellence necessarily the cause of fatal anorexia or are there other underlying causes? Seeking the answers to questions raised such as these makes this a fast and absorbing read for junior and high school girls wanting relevant realistic ficion. Readers will find themselves like Jane, the young adolescent narrator, blooming in more ways than one as they reflect on the book's examples of self realization and family healing. Jane's talent for photography takes where she has never gone before.