Parents' Guide to

The Canyon's Edge

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Poetry lends shape to dramatic, gripping desert adventure.

Book Dusti Bowling Literary Fiction 2020
The Canyon's Edge Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

Megh L.
Megh L. Parent of 8-year-old
August 29, 2022
age 12+

Solid read!

This book works through some intense ideas—death, a gun violence, loss—but it’s very well done, has a solid worldview (as many of Dusti Bowling’s books seem to have) and is appropriate in nature for older middle school-age kids.

This title has:

Educational value
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What's the Story?

In THE CANYON'S EDGE, Nora and her dad have planned a backpacking and climbing trip on the anniversary of Nora's mom's death. It happens to also be Nora's birthday, but rather than eat cake, she and her dad are going to tackle a challenging canyon in the Arizona desert. What they don't plan for is a flash flood that rips through the canyon. Within minutes, their trip has turned into a rush to get out intact. Nora is pushed to her absolute physical and emotional limits in a sudden fight for survival. She confronts her deepest fears, looking trauma in the face, as she attempts to get to a place of physical safety and emotional stability.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Intense and gratifying, this adventure story explores the battle to overcome loss, using verse to its advantage. In The Canyon's Edge, author Dusti Bowling uses poetry as her main character's means of coping with emotional and physical tragedy. The line breaks and the movement of the words across the field of text make the action-packed narrative jump off the page. Imagery, personification, and other poetic devices deliver powerful emotional moments.

Kids will appreciate that Nora totally owns this art form. She's not just a character who enjoys painting or dancing or some form of expression that is described by an author. Her art form is the story, and it's graphic, moving, and gritty. Nora's emotional arc drifts dangerously close to being self-destructive, but with the help of her therapist, Mary, whose voice echoes throughout the poems like a guardian angel, Nora overcomes her greatest obstacles and finds a will to survive that she didn't know she had.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about gun violence in The Canyon's Edge and how it changes all of the lives involved. How are Nora's friendships affected? Can things return to normal for her?

  • How does Nora's emotional state get expressed in this book? Do her feelings come through in her poetry? Do you have a creative outlet where you can express your true feelings?

  • Who are Nora's trusted people? Who can she talk to when she's afraid? Who are your trusted people?

Book Details

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