Crushed

by Melanie Conklin

Overview

A heartfelt middle grade story about changing friendships, peer pressure, and the courage to speak up when lines are crossed, perfect for fans of Starfish and Finally Heard. 

Sophie Valentine would rather be at home, doing school virtually. Instead, she’s waiting in a crowded middle school building for her best friend, Eve, who’s finally back after an extended absence, which only Sophie knows the truth about.  
 
But when Eve returns, things aren’t the same. First, Eve stops walking to school with her in the morning. Then, she’s ditching Sophie to hang out with the Crash Crew, a group of popular kids notorious for their social media dares. Eve seems to fit right in, but Sophie is devastated: Did she just lose her best friend? 
 
When rumors surface that Eve is hiding a painful secret she didn’t share with Sophie, Sophie is spurred on an investigation to discover what—or who—caused the incident behind Eve’s sudden change...and why all clues lead back to the Crash Crew. Using lessons from her forensics class and the help of a new friend, Sophie will have to uncover the truth before more harm is done. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316509176
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	07/16/2024
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	98,076
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Melanie Conklin grew up in North Carolina and worked as a product designer before she began her writing career. She is the author of middle grade novels Counting Thyme, Every Missing Piece, A Perfect Mistake, Crushed (2024), and her debut picture book, When You Have to Wait. Her books have won awards such as the International Literacy Association Teacher’s Choice Award, Bank Street Best Children’s Book, and nominations to seven state reading lists. When she’s not writing, Melanie spends her time doodling and dreaming up new ways to be creative. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.

Editorial Reviews

04/08/2024

Twelve-year-old Brooklynite Sophie Valentine is thrilled when her best friend Eve returns to school in January following an extended absence, about which only Sophie knows the truth: “Eve tried to hurt herself.” But ever since Eve began hanging out with the Crash Crew—a group of kids who perform sometimes-risky social media dares—the autumn before her leave, things haven’t been the same for the two lifelong friends. Since virtual learning ended, Sophie’s anxiety has intensified, especially around members of the Crash Crew—Chaz invades Sophie’s personal space and Ashley makes snide comments that drag Sophie down. Moreover, Eve herself is pulling away, leading to Sophie’s experiencing panic attacks as she tries to fit in with the daredevils. When Eve references a previous dare that led to her self-harm, Sophie endeavors to resurrect their friendship by using what she’s learned in her forensic science unit to find out the details of the dare. Interludes from supporting characters add depth to Sophie’s community landscape, highlighting keenly rendered middle school social dynamics in this layered, perceptive examination of shifting friendship and post-pandemic anxiety by Conklin (A Perfect Mistake). Main characters read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Myrsini Stephanides, Arc Literary Management. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Engaging as it is enlightening, Conklin has weaved a layered tale with realistic, multigenerational tendrils of misogyny and misconduct. An invaluable read."—Alex Gino, award-winning author of Melissa and Green

"Conklin crushes her depiction of middle school, with old friendships changed and new friendships gained, cliques, peer pressure, and all the anxiety and courage of growing up."—Barbara O’Connor, award-wining author of Wish and How to Steal a Dog

"A beautiful story bursting with love on every page."—Claire Legrand, New York Times-bestselling author of Some Kind of Happiness

"Compulsively readable, deeply compassionate, and ultimately empowering.”—Anne Ursu, author of Not Quite a Ghost

"A captivating, empowering story that's full of heart, hope, and healing."—Supriya Kelkar, acclaimed author of The Cobra's Song and American as Paneer Pie

"Melanie Conklin has made a career of tackling tough, important topics in her work, but Crushed is her most ambitious and significant book yet." —Jarrett Lerner, award-winning author/illustrator of A Work in Progress

“[A] layered, perceptive examination of shifting friendship and post-pandemic anxiety.”—Publishers Weekly

"Relatable, informative, and needed."—Kirkus Reviews

"A timely novel that tackles mental health, friendship, and the impact of social media on tweens."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/28/2024

Gr 5–8—Things haven't been the same for seventh grader Sophie Valentine since the pandemic; she misses virtual learning, and her anxiety over crowds and accepting change has evolved into panic attacks. Now that her best friend Eve has returned to school from treatment for self-harm, Sophie is excited to get back into their BFF routine—but Eve is avoiding Sophie and lying about her whereabouts. She has fallen in with the Crash Crew, a group of kids obsessed with doing dares that they upload online. As Sophie tries to hold on, Eve keeps pulling away. When it's revealed that the source of Eve's distress was a nonconsensual phone screenshot, Sophie is determined to find the culprit and repair their friendship. This storyline operates alongside a fictitious murder case assignment in Sophie's science class, providing forensic methods that Sophie then applies to her own investigation. Some dialogue seems advanced for seventh graders, especially their incredibly mature revelations about feelings and relationships. Other scenes, like Sophie's therapy sessions, can feel didactic, but provide helpful information about anxiety and coping mechanisms. Sophie is a realistically imperfect protagonist; she has a tendency to steamroll friendships and over-rely on Eve, but is also caring and has an innate sense of morality. The mystery's reveal will not come as a surprise to most; it is slightly disappointing that the novel's consequence for real and repeated sexual harassment is more pranking, versus immediately involving trusted adults. The ending is saccharine, but readers will be happy to see Sophie has grown more comfortable with herself and her friendships, old and new. VERDICT A timely novel that tackles mental health, friendship, and the impact of social media on tweens. A solid addition to middle grade fiction collections.—Ashleigh Williams

School Library Journal

2024-04-20
Middle schoolers deal with peer pressure in the age of online bullying.

Sophie Valentine hates crowds. They give her The Shakes, what she calls her panic attacks. Sophie’s best friend, Eve, has always been there for her, especially during the pandemic lockdown, but beginning over Thanksgiving break, Eve took an extended absence from school for inpatient treatment due to suicidality, information that Sophie has kept confidential. Now that Eve’s returned, something has changed—she’s hanging out with the Crash Crew, a group of popular kids known for their online challenges and exclusionary behavior. One group member, Chaz, makes Sophie especially uncomfortable, touching and verbally threatening her. A school forensic science unit involving a fictitious murder encourages Sophie to investigate the causes behind her dissolving friendship with Eve and the actions of the Crash Crew. The short chapters switch among settings that include the Valentine family bookstore (where Sophie helps out), Sophie’s therapy sessions, and school. The chapters close with statements from supporting characters that echo witness testimonies in the science project. Sophie’s gentle conversations with her therapist and her Greek American ER doctor mother help her unpack social media bullying and sexual harassment; both adults provide sound and compassionate advice. Conklin offers readers practical, hope-filled, and developmentally appropriate perspectives on social anxiety and peer pressure. Main characters are coded white.

Relatable, informative, and needed. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews