After the Worst Thing Happens by Audrey Vernick

Left reeling after her thoughtless mistake causes a terrible accident, 12-year-old Army Morand channels her grief to help someone in need.

Army Morand feels like her life has been blown to bits when the worst thing imaginable happens–her beloved dog dies. It was an accident, but it was also Army’s fault. She can’t seem to stop hiding from everything and everybody including her best friend JennaLouise.

But then Army sees Madison, the little girl who moved in across the way, climbing a tree and walking down the street unsupervised. Her family is not neglectful, just overwhelmed. Army finds herself overcome with the need to help Madison’s family to make sure another worst thing doesn’t happen–which becomes even more challenging when a big storm threatens her town.

About the Author

Audrey grew up in Whitestone, New York, where she lived with her parents and two sisters and a not very bright small white dog. She has a freaky memory about the names of the kids in her class at P.S. 184Q, and even remembers where most of them stood in size order.

She always loved to read and still rereads Harriet the Spy on a regular basis. Moreover, she was not one of those children who always knew she wanted to be a writer; she didn’t love to write until college. She’s been writing ever since. In addition to writing for children, Audrey has published more than a dozen short stories for adults in magazines and literary journals. She received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College.

Audrey divides her time between writing (which is mostly spent revising) and visiting elementary schools to talk about writing and publishing. (For school visit info, click here.) She also speaks at conferences around the country. She lives near the ocean in New Jersey with her family. and one fairly intelligent medium-sized black dog. Audrey Vernick received a 2019 Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

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After the Worst Thing Happens Review:

Many thanks to Margaret Ferguson Books for providing me this book for my review.

There are so many things that I liked about this story. Firstly, I thought the author covered the topic of Autism very well. Also, this was the first book I have read where I learnt of non-verbal autism, and I found the topic interesting. Moreover, being a dog lover, I could only imagine the pain that Army goes through when she loses ‘Maybe’. I also liked how the author indirectly emphasizes on how to prepare yourself during a hurricane.

The author also wrote the characters in such an uplifting way. Even though the story covers quite a few serious topics, Army’s friends and family always try to cheer her up. I loved Elsie Jenkins. She can be very annoying at times, but she grew on me and I loved her no-nonsense attitude. Navy is also a sweet brother to Army. Also, I loved the creativity the author put into the novel. Even the names of the characters like Army, Navy and Maybe make the story stand out.

Probably the only thing which I got irked with was how Irene became dependent on Army to look after Madison. While I understand how Irene could get frazzled by raising children, I didn’t like that she relied on Army without speaking with Army’s parents. She should have been more responsible in handling the situation. However, on the other hand, the story highlights that even adults do not have all the answers and depend on children for help at times. I am happy on how Army managed the situation, but wished the author wrote Irene to be a focused mother.

Overall, After the Worst Thing Happens is very endearing and I enjoyed reading it a lot.