The Deepest Blue

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Mike hasn’t spoken to his mother in years, and what few memories he has of her are painful.

When Mike’s dad is killed in a car accident, Mike wants to stay in his hometown and live with Maggie, his dad’s girlfriend, who has been like a mother to him for the last five years. But Mike’s mother reappears in his life and demands that he return to her custody and live on the other side of the country with a family he doesn’t know. The law is on his mother’s side, and Mike will have to grow up quickly and take on the legal system to have the life he wants.

This deeply moving story of a young teen’s difficult family relationships reflects the reality of many children and teens with strong emotional ties to adults who have no legal rights in the instance of death or divorce.

Young Adult | 292 pages | Ages 12 & up
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-939100-05-4 | $9.99
E-book ISBN: 978-1-933718-95-8 | 14.99
Lexile Level: 740

Meet Author Kim Williams-Justesen

Kim Williams-Justesen is a Salt Lake City native who was one of those kids whose mom had to come in and take the flashlight away so she would stop reading and go to sleep. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Speech-Communication from Westminster College, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Kim captures the voice and dialogue of today’s girls, along with the drama, the fun, the self-doubt, the awkwardness of this age, and does so with great humor.

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Other Books by Author

The Deepest Blue Reviews

“Justesen hits the emotional points perfectly, using first-person narration to reveal Mike’s impressive powers of observation and his puzzlement over his own unfamiliar behavior. Teens…will be drawn into Mike’s struggle to keep going after death has changed everything.”

Kirkus Reviews

“This gripping, heart-wrenching story will show readers what it’s like to suffer a great loss and survive.”

School Library Journal

“A heartfelt offering ideal for reluctant readers.”

Booklist

“In this moving story of a young man’s fight to remain with those he cares about and loves, Justesen has created a very real and sympathetic protagonist…Readers will find themselves drawn into the struggle and rooting for Mike as he faces these challenges.”

ALAN