So when you see it is written by Angela Johnson...

Even before you finish it, you KNOW it is going to get 5 of 5 stars.  That's just the kind of writer that Johnson is.  This book should win the Printz this year, but it won't because it is too good.  Poet, honest, real, different, heart-breaking, beautiful, that's A Certain October.
The book chronicle's Scotty's life during the month of October when she is on a train and a boy she sort of new from school is killed in a terrible train accident, which also leaves her little brother in a coma.  Scotty is a wonderful character and all of the supporting characters are as well.  Less than 160 pages, this sends the message again to people like Stephen King- it's not about the number of words or pages, you have to actually SAY something.