Fragments
by Jeffry W. Johnston

    FRAGMENTS by Jeffry W. Johnston
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 9+
    Release Date:  1/9/07
    Publisher:  Simon Pulse
    Reviewed by:  Dianna Geers
    Rating:  5 Stars


    FRAGMENTS begins with all of the things a good book should: tension, problems, and many questions. Chase is a
    junior at a new school, recently discharged from a long hospital stay after a car accident, and struggles with the loss of
    his memory. His older brother sneaks into the house to see him, but Chase is told to keep his visit a secret. And that’s
    all in the first four pages!

    Readers immediately care for Chase and want him to be able to find some peace. As he deals with all of the issues
    and struggles to grab hold of fragments of memories as they pop into his head, you, too, want to know what
    happened the night of the car accident. Especially when you find out that he is suffering from “survivor guilt.” You
    hope that the accident wasn’t Chase’s fault--and feel the need to know the truth.

    While Chase searches his memories for bits of information, he is continually taken back to another memory of his
    brother when they were younger. Chase can’t remember the whole situation, but it seems to haunt him, too. It’s
    almost as though the memory of his brother will help to lead him to remembering the events of the accident. However,
    Chase later realizes that he has kept his own secrets which are worse than the events of the night of the accident . Can
    Chase handle knowing all of the truths he has tucked away inside his mind?

    FRAGMENTS is a fast-paced book with continual tension and unending surprises. This is the first novel of Jeffry W.
    Johnston, but he is bound to become a favorite young adult author.