Editorial Content for Every Single Second

Tricia Springstubb’s new novel, EVERY SINGLE SECOND, tackles tough but timely issues about friendship, loyalty, violence and forgiveness, set in a tight-knit Italian-American community.

Twelve-year-old Nella Sabatini feels like she’s on the verge of something. The Catholic school she’s attended since kindergarten is about to close and she’s not sure whether she’s ready to transfer to the big public middle school instead. She’s worried that her new best friend, Clem, will go to the science magnet school and forget all about her. She’s increasingly preoccupied by a long-ago family secret that has just recently started to make sense to her --- and not in a good way. She’s also worried about her one-time best friend Angela who’s grown increasingly odd and withdrawn and whose father has become erratic and even scary ever since returning from his last tour of duty overseas.

“EVERY SINGLE SECOND is a novel that manages to be both politically and socially relevant and yet very personal and age-appropriate.”

In the space of an instant, Nella’s life seems to change all at once. First Angela’s older brother Anthony --- whom Nella has always idolized --- commits a shocking and inexplicable act that draws local and national attention, causing Nella to look not only at her long-time friend but also at their neighborhood and city with new eyes. Then, in the wake of this tragedy, Nella’s grandmother with whom she’s always had a tense relationship suffers a stroke. Can Nella sort out where her loyalties should lie when they’re deeply tested? Will she make the right choices when love and friendship are on the line?

Chapters in EVERY SINGLE SECOND alternate between “Then” --- telling the backstory of how Nella and her friends and family got to be where they are --- and “Now” --- the current narrative that steadily builds in intensity. Springstubb also cleverly inserts some humor and perspective by offering some brief chapters from the point of view of an old statue in the cemetery where Nella’s father is the caretaker. These elements work together effectively to create a portrait of a family and a neighborhood that is both broad and deep.

The issues that Nella and her friends encounter --- which include PTSD, racial profiling and gun violence --- also offer deep and rich opportunities for reflection and discussion. Less successful are the portrayals of Nella’s various friendships, not only with Clem and Angela but also with a boy(friend)named Sam. These numerous relationships are all potentially worthy of additional exploration, but there’s just not enough pages to fully explore or understand all of them and readers who are invested in these characters will likely come away disappointed that their role was not more fully explored. Nevertheless, EVERY SINGLE SECOND is a novel that manages to be both politically and socially relevant and yet very personal and age-appropriate. Parents who have been struggling for ways to open up dialogue about current events and the Black Lives Matter movement may find this a useful and satisfying read-aloud to help begin the conversation.