Blue Eyes Better Author:Ruth Wallace-Brodeur Written with quiet intensity, this beautiful and spare novel examines what happens to Tessa's family after her fifteen-year-old brother is killed in a drunk-driving accident. Their mother first retreats to her room, then goes away altogether, leaving Tessa and her father-and a great emptiness -behind. Tessa is desperate to draw her mother back. ... more »But she finds solace in a stronger bond with her father and help from different sources: a vivacious music teacher who senses what Tessa needs, an old woman on her paper route who has suffered losses of her own, and her best friend, whose constancy is just what we would expect.« less