Ask the Passengers by A.S. King

This novel snuck under the wire to get into my top three young adult novels for 2012. I read it in one breathless night, and the next morning, when I saw an airplane flying overhead, I burst into tears. Which, I admit, probably seems like a crazy response, and fairly so. But like all the best, most special books, Ask The Passengers doesn't just satisfy the mind while it's being read-- it also colors life long after it has been put down, making otherwise banal things, like the sight of airplanes overhead, illuminated.
King uses complicated ideas, recurring imagery and deceptively simple language to craft a story of incredible honesty and pathos. Those who were unlucky to be around me in the days after I read it were subjected to my many gushings-and even with the amount of hyperbolic gushery I put forth in those days, I'm not sure I did this novel justice. Gorgeous. Wise. Vibrant. For those who love any of the following authors: David Levithan, Nina LaCour, Sarah Dessen or John Green should certainly take a look.
I cannot wait to pick up more of A. S. King's work. Because if it's even a FRACTION as good... I may have a new favorite author. For ages 15+ --Reviewed by Maggie, Books Inc. Children's Department Director