Emma Hunsinger’s How It All Ends hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves, perhaps because of the title. That’s a shame, because it’s a wonderful book, an affecting, informative portrait of a kid worrying about growing up.
Tara is thirteen and starting high school (ninth grade). She was skipped ahead from seventh grade, along with a couple of other kids, because she’s a “high-performing student”. That gives her a lot of anxiety over whether she’s ready for this, and how she will cope.
The use of color is brilliant. It’s monochrome on most pages, with a deep aqua for reality, soft red for Tara’s imagination (which she uses a LOT), and a warm gold for emphasis.
The pages aren’t paneled, although they follow a typical left-to-right, top-to-bottom flow. But without those lines, it’s all a bit more chaotic, which adds to the reader’s understanding of how Tara thinks about things. Particularly when she’s imagining catastrophes, with her wild thoughts jumbled together.
When you’re not living through them, her stories are hilarious. I enjoyed reading them from a distance. So are the things she imagines to entertain her little brother.
Then she meets Libby, the only other girl in her English class. She’s a bit older, as are the kids Tara meets through her older sister. Tara might just have a crush. That begins a process of navigating her own interests vs what she thinks she’s supposed to like, based on the cooler, older kids.
How It All Ends is a portrait of friendship and confusion and a bit of obsession and learning to be comfortable with yourself. It’s a terrific read, beautifully told.
English (US) · 