"Crushed" by Laura McNeal follows the story of a teenage girl named Anika who navigates the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery in a small town. After a tragic accident alters her life and the lives of those around her, Anika grapples with her emotions and relationships. As she develops feelings for a mysterious new boy, she must confront her past and its lingering effects. Throughout her journey, Anika learns about the power of resilience and the importance of connection, ultimately leading her toward healing and understanding in a world filled with uncertainty. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].

This book is aimed at children at US 7th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 12 years.

There are 308 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2014 by Alfred A. Knopf .

Tom McNeal was born and raised in Santa Ana, California, but spent part of every summer at the Nebraska farm where his mother grew up. After earning a BA in English at UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing at UC Irvine, he became a teacher. He now lives in southern California with his wife and two sons.