The Girl in the Well Is Me - Hardcover

A Top 10 Spring 2016 Kids' Indie Next Pick

"Darkly humorous . . . honest and forthcoming . . . [Kammie's] reflections in the heart of darkness (both literally and figuratively) are where the story hits its stride . . . It's in the quiet moments when Kammie is along with her thoughts--which become surreal hallucinations--that the book comes alive . . . original and truthful."--New York Times Book Review

"A brilliantly revealed, sometimes even funny, exploration of courage, the will to live, and the importance of being true to oneself. The catastrophe draws readers in, and the universality of spunky Kammie's life-affirming journey will engage a wide audience. Moving, suspenseful, and impossible to put down."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The inimitable voice of 11-year-old Kammie Summers is not one you will soon forget--in turns wise, sad, hopeful, frightened, hilarious. Rivers does a masterful job..."--Buffalo News

"A hypnotic, utterly original novel . . . Guilt and forgiveness, truth and lies, family and self, friendship and social hierarchy--The Girl in the Well Is Me doesn't so much tackle these subjects as absorb them into its natural fiber. Young readers will take in tough-and-tender Kammie as their own . . . and the suspense and anxiety of her situation will leave every reader breathless until the final page."--Shelf Awareness

"I dare you to pick up this riveting novel without reading straight through to its heart-stopping conclusion. Karen Rivers has penned a dazzling voice, at once hilarious, heartbreaking, and searingly honest. The Girl in the Well Is Me is a triumph."--Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan

"A gripping story that doesn't shy away from the dark places but explores them with heart, humor, and light."--Kate Messner, author of All The Answers

"Funny, surreal, occasionally heartbreaking...a compulsively readable story." --School Library Journal

"The danger will grab readers quickly, and their inevitable investment in Kammie will keep them breathlessly engaged through to the conclusion, perhaps even in one sitting if they can get away with it."--The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books

"This is a fascinatingly well told story that strongly reminded me of Libba Bray's Going Bovine, but with a completely believable middle grade flavor."--Teen Librarian Toolbox / School Library Journal

"Superb . . . acrobatic . . . Karen Rivers is able to dive so seamlessly into the darker themes of growing up . . . Because of the tone and persistence of [protagonist] Kammie, the reader never loses faith that, although times may seem impossibly tough, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel."--Cleaver Magazine

"It should strike a chord with its tween audience."--Booklist

"Interesting and well-written." --San Francisco Book Review

The first thing everyone says to do in emergencies--earthquakes or house fires or if, say, you fall down an abandoned well out in the wasteland behind town--is to stay calm.

"Stay calm, Kammie," I tell myself. My voice echoes up the dusty tunnel to where The Girls are, safe on high ground.

"HELP!" I scream. "MANDY KANDY SANDY!"

No one answers me, but I know they are there.

Unless they went to get help. That's it. They went for help.

Meanwhile, I am thoroughly wedged between the damp, rough walls of this stinky old well.

I try to breathe slow, in and out. In and out.

In and out. My heart beats. Nothing is broken, at least I don't think so. So I guess I'm OK.

I am OK.

I will be OK.

OK?