CW: Gun violence, death of loved one, surviving desert dangers.

A wonderful verse novel about resilience and healing after a tragedy. I think this is going to be incredibly popular with younger teens in the library I work at and I will order three copies. It is quite an emotional story and the pacing is excellent. The author does a good job of foreshadowing the nature of the tragedy that has left Nora and her father with PTSD. Therefore the truth unfolds somewhat gently for the Reader which is entirely appropriate for this age group. I had a few tears at one point to be honest. I highly recommend for late middle school and early high school. ( )

EvergreenBk nominee for 2022-23: "Nora's birthday marks the one year anniversary of the worst day of her life. To distract them both from the memories of the horrible shooting that killed Nora's mom, her dad surprises her with a trip to explore a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert. But in the twisting, winding depths, the unthinkable happens. Suddenly Nora finds herself lost, alone, at the bottom of a canyon, in the middle of a desert. Separated from her supplies, she faces dehydration, venomous scoprions, deadly snakes, and worst of all, the Beast who has terrorized her dreams for the last year. To save herself and her father, Nora must conquer her fears -and outsmart the canyon's dangers."- back cover. GREAT read for a student who wants a fast "outdoor survival" story.

I loved this novel written in verse about a girl trying to survive in a remote desert canyon after her dad and all their supplies are washed away in a flash flood. What I didn't expect was the storyline about the mass shooting that Nora and her parents were in a year prior. Flashbacks to the shooting are a huge part of this story, and they are very scary, so I want readers to be warned. The writing and setting of The Canyon's Edge are vivid and captivating, and I highly recommend this to readers who are prepared for a very intense read. ( )

A heart wrenching, powerful, overcoming your fear coming-of-age novel in verse with some prose mixed in story. For anyone trying to out run their demons this is the perfect book to help guide you down the path and away from the demons. It teaches the reader to jump across the canyon and move forward, without looking back. That you can escape your demons and move forward into the new after – after. ( )

Really intense book about survival -- physical survival in terrifying conditions, and mental survival after huge trauma. Well written, well paced, hard to put down! ( )