Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Compelling tale of loss, love, addiction in poetry & prose.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
As I FELT A FUNERAL, IN MY BRAIN begins, 16-year-old Avery's English teacher is loading him up with a stack of poetry books (Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Allen Ginsberg) for him to read over the summer. Avery is thrilled. He's also thrilled that he got an A on his biology final. He and his best friend, Luca, have made a pact that if they both "aced Bio," they'd lose their virginity to each other. But the summer does not go at all as Avery had planned. He and his mother (who's driving drunk) are in an accident that leaves Avery on crutches with a broken kneecap. This send his mother back to rehab and Avery to live with his grandfather, who's in denial about his own alcoholism. As the story unfolds, his mother returns, someone Avery loves dies, and he turns to words -- reading poetry, exploring works by "queer" poets, writing his own free verse and poetry, and journaling -- to try to stay emotionally afloat.
Is It Any Good?
Unlike anything most teens have ever read, this sometimes challenging blend of prose and poetry is ultimately a relatable story of grief, addiction, and love. While I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain may initially get a "Poetry? No way" reaction from some teens, it won't take long before they find themselves letting go of any doubts or fears about reading this unconventional novel and being captivated by Avery's story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the secrets that are kept in I Felt a Funeral, in My Brain. How can keeping a secret sometimes be as dangerous and destructive as the secret itself?
Is there music you listen to or an author you read when you're going through a difficult time? How do words and music have the power to heal?
Do you have friends or family members who are battling addiction? What impact has that had on the lives of the people who love and care for them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Literary Fiction
- Topics : Book Characters , School ( High School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Push
- Publication date : May 29, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 18
- Number of pages : 285
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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