What Goes Up

How do you forgive
yourself—and the people you love—when a shocking discovery leads to a huge
mistake? Acclaimed author Christine Heppermann’s novel-in-verse tackles
betrayals and redemption among family and friends with her signature
unflinching—but always sharply witty—style. For fans of Elana K. Arnold, Laura
Ruby, and A. S. King.

When Jorie wakes up in
the loft bed of a college boy she doesn’t recognize, she’s instantly filled
with regret. What happened the night before? What led her to this place? Was it
her father’s infidelity? Her mother’s seemingly weak acceptance? Her recent
breakup with Ian, the boy who loved her art and supported her through the
hardest time of her life?

As Jorie tries to
reconstruct the events that led her to this point, free verse poems lead the
reader through the current morning, as well as flashbacks to her relationships
with her parents, her friends, her boyfriend, and the previous night.

With Poisoned
Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty and Ask Me How I Got
Here, Christine Heppermann established herself as a vital voice in
thought-provoking and powerful feminist writing for teens. Her poetry is
surprising, wry, emotional, and searing. What Goes Up is by
turns a scorchingly funny and a deeply emotional story that asks whether it’s
possible to support and love someone despite the risk of being hurt. Readers of
Laura Ruby, E. K. Johnston, Elana K. Arnold, and Laurie Halse Anderson will
find a complicated heroine they won’t soon forget.