"An exceptional tool for navigating the unimaginable."
Kirkus Starred Review
After: A Survivor’s Story
Written by Hallee Adelman
Illustrated by Patrick Corrigan
Published by Albert Whitman & Co.
Moving forward after a traumatic event isn’t easy, but finding community can help.
After living through The Horrible Day, a young girl struggles to get the fear off her skin. Why is she still here when her friend Wes isn’t? Adults try to comfort her, but they don’t understand; they weren’t there. Other people have survived their own Horrible Days, though, and by joining together to speak up, they can give each other the strength they all need to move on. In this book, author Hallee Adelman looks at one of the toughest subjects of our time through the eyes of a young person whose life has been forever changed by gun violence.
Child Mind Institute 2025 Best Kids’ Books About Mental Health
Foreward INDIES 2025 Book of the Year Finalist
Bank Street College of Education, Best Children’s Books of the Year 2026
Kirkus
"An empowering portrait of a life transformed—but not determined—by trauma."
"Adelman’s text celebrates resilience without diminishing its power with pity nor demanding that young people rush the recovery process."
"An exceptional tool for navigating the unimaginable."