Hold Still by Nina LaCour

A teen who has had trouble making close friends loses her one long time best friend to suicide and is devastated, almost paralyzed by sadness. The event took place at the end of the last school year, before this book begins, all summer long Caitlin's parents have been trying to help her move on, come out of her depression. Caitlin has agreed to start the new school year where things both good and bad happen. She meets Dylan, new girl at school but can't quite bring herself to be a friend at first. Her father gives her a stack of timber with which to build something to get her mind off Ingrid and she finds Ingrid's Journal hidden under her bed as if Ingrid left it for her as a suicide note. Jason and Taylor guys she and Ingrid cared about both approach her with sympathy and efforts of friendship. Caitlin is photography student and the teacher at first cannot bear to look at her, being reminded too much of her gifted student Ingrid. Caitlin works through much of her grief while reading Ingrid's Journal, working on her building project, learns from Dylan and Jayson to be a friend again and comes to understand others are hurting as well. This is a quiet, hopeful book that follows in a fairly standard way the stages of grief and acceptance. For someone needing or wanting to read about overcoming grief this is a good choice. jdw3/30/11