What readers think of Only Child, plus links to write your own review.

Carl Rogers,the humanitarian psychologist, would have smiled approvingly at the therapeutic process as Zach evolves from confusion to self discovery. People of all ages can benefit from the insights the author reveals through the eyes of a child.

Only Child is amazing! Once I started reading it I was unable to put it down. The writing flows and the characters are well-developed .It is intense, heartbreaking and uplifting. While it starts with a school shooting, that is not what it is about. There is so much more to this story. If you read one new book this year, make it this one. And really I rate it a 10.

When I realized the topic of this book I was feeling reluctant about reading this book. Wow was I ever fooled. The impact the school shooting had on every person was vividly captured. I wanted to jump in the book at many different moments; to sooth a person, to shake sense into another so many emotions. Then after the blame game books that the boy was reading changed the way people thought. The boy's constant belief in the " secrets to happiness" helped save the day.

Can my eyes produce any more tears for this heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting story of a family consumed by a school shooting? Wise beyond his 6 year old self, Zach narrates this story in a voice so authentic, I could feel his pain as his world is torn asunder from the death of his 9 and a half year old older brother.While his mother strikes out with anger at the world and the family of the killer, she dissociates her self from her family and husband. Her husband has a secret of his own and buries himself in his work while trying to be supportive of Zach at the same time. And there is Zach..the hurting child caught in the middle...trying to make sense of something which doesn't make any sense. Through the books he reads, he tries to find the secrets of happiness and with it bring his family together and teach them the true meaning of compassion. There have been many books about school shootings lately much to my chagrin, but Zach is a special character whose voice has a lot to teach us all. Highly highly recommend.

This is a very timely book, as it deals with the emotional effects of all-too-often occurring phenomena in our country today - mass shootings in our schools. It is told in the words of a six-year old whose community is experiencing the aftermath of such an event. The family of one of the victims, a 10-year old boy and the family of the shooter both struggle to come to terms with the horrors of the situation and deal with the pressures of the media. I am going to recommend this to my book club as soon as it comes out!

This was a great book on a really tough subject. It holds your attention from the first page and is a quick read. The author made me really think about various points of view. I felt for all the characters - the brother who was left to deal with life after the tragedy, the parents who are torn apart and the killer's parents. I had to reflect on my own values while reading this book. The author did a beautiful job capturing the voice of a child. An amazing debut novel that will catch on quickly with book clubs.

I thought this book was amazing. While the topic of school shootings is never a pleasant one, Rhiannon Navin does an amazing job with this difficult subject. There are so many facets to this – parents of the slain school children, siblings, grief, the pursuit of justice, motive, and media coverage. The narrator is Zach, a six-year-old, and survivor of the school shooting. Zach works through his trauma and helps the adults in his life do the same – in a way only a child could do. Zach uses art, exploring his feelings, and Magic Tree House books to make his healing journey.

As a teacher and a mother, this book had me hooked from the get-go and reflecting on how I would react in a similar situation. At times it felt like I was experiencing the events myself. It was emotional, thought-provoking, and a true drama. I wish there was a sequel!