Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin

Jennie has lost her brother and her fiancee Will to the Civil War. Her place in her aunt and uncle's home is questionable until Quinn, Will's brother, returns wounded. Jennie decided to take care of him, slowing the process of being shoved out into the street.

Only Quinn really knows what happened to Will, and slowly he starts to tell Jennie what he saw. But what he tells her doesn't fit with what she knew about Will, and Jennie starts to doubt she knew him at all. But something isn't letting her forget or move on--she's attacked at night and finds clues that Will is not going to let go of her at all.

An interesting historical story with illustrations and pictures. It all wraps up in the end, but getting there is a little bumpy. I wasn't that drawn to Jennie, and although I liked the ending, the rest of the story wasn't enthralling.

Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Zen and Xander lost their mother almost a year ago. And for the past year, they've been receiving messages from her, sent by someone on significant days.

The girls are handling their grief in their own ways. Zen, who tells this story, bottles everything up and buries herself in her karate and trying to keep the family together. Xander goes out drinking, wild parties, drugs, and dangerous men. When one follows her home, Zen allows her anger to push her to fight back.

Now Zen has to deal with her sister's antics and a bad back. She no longer has karate to look forward to, and as she tries to cope without it, she and Xander stumble upon a secret they didn't want to know about their mother.

Can they get it together before Zen paralyzes herself and Xander throws her future away?

A heartfelt and touching story with a lot of emotion. The girls have a hard time with their grief and struggle to overcome it in their own way. I found this to be a powerful and very moving story.