Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2011
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
When Rose's mom dies, she leaves behind a brown paper bag labeled Rose's Survival Kit. Inside the bag, Rose finds an iPod, with a to-be-determined playlist; a picture of peonies, for growing; a crystal heart, for loving; a paper star, for making a wish; and a paper kite, for letting go.
As Rose ponders the meaning of each item, she finds herself returning again and again to an unexpected source of comfort. Will is her family's gardener, the school hockey star, and the only person who really understands what she's going through. Can loss lead to love?
"Those who have lost a loved one will recognize a part of themselves in Rose and appreciate her quest to find the inner strength to reconfigure the shattered pieces of her life." - Publishers Weekly
"Although somewhat predictable, Rose's cathartic interactions with her survival kit provide a creative way to show that mother always does know best." - Kirkus Reviews
"A worthy addition for a teen coping with her own loss or struggling to help friends or family cope with theirs." - VOYA
"Love and death are always a potent mix, and in the hands of a talented writer like Freitas, this is especially so." - Booklist
"As fragile and lovely as a rose." - Jenny Han, author of We'll Always Have Summer
"Fans of Sarah Dessen will fall for this deeply moving tale of family, loss, and falling in love." - Melissa Walker, author of Violet on the Runway
"This book was so gorgeous. I loved Rose, I swooned over Will. This is an amazing story about love, loss, and the healing power of music. I adored it!" - Morgan Matson, author of Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
This information about The Survival Kit was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo: Allen Murabayashi
Donna Frietas is a Brooklyn-based author of fiction and nonfiction, as well as memoir and novels for young adults and middle grade readers. Her first novel for adults, The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano was released in April 2021. She is also a professor and researcher on topics related to sex on campus, Title IX, and sexual assault, as well as social media and young adults. She has appeared on NPR, The Today Show, and many other radio and news programs to talk about her work, and her writing has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the LA Times, among other places. She has been a professor at Boston University and in Hofstra University's Honors College, and is currently on faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University's MFA in Creative Writing.
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Donna Freitas's Website
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