#6 - Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

This is the first book in Sharon Draper's Hazelwood High Trilogy which won The Corretta Scott King Award and was also named as an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. The book begins with a newspaper article about the death of a Hazelwood High basketball star in a fiery automobile accident. What a beginning! The book traces Rob Washington's friends' reactions to his death and also describes how his friends cope with his death. Each chapter is told from a different point of view and includes diary entries, essays written for class assignments, and conversations between characters. The book is written in conversation form rather than in paragraph form. I found it quite effective in portraying the emotions of the characters. It's a great read that teens will love.