Abe in Arms

Portraying the pressures of teens to live a normal life while facing mental illness, this suspenseful young adult novel follows the journey of success-bound Abe, who struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A senior in high school, with a loving and wealthy adoptive family, Abe is on track for a big scholarship and an open future. Suddenly, horrific flashbacks rip him back to war-torn Africa, where five years previously he lost his mother, sister, friends, and almost his own life to torturous violence. During therapy, he uncovers even darker moments from his past that make him question how he survived. This action-filled thriller will open the eyes and hearts of teenagers to the lives of young people who have been exposed to profound violence around the world.

Pegi Deitz Shea teaches at the Institute of Children’s Literature and the University of Connecticut and has presented at more than 350 schools, libraries, and conferences across the United States. She is the author of The Carpet Boy’s Gift, Patience Wright, Tangled Threads, Ten Mice for Tet, and The Whispering Cloth, which have been made Notables by organizations including the International Reading Association, National Council for the Social Studies, and the New York Public Library. She lives in Vernon, Connecticut.