Tag Archives: death

YA – Four for the Road

Posted on by
Reply

Reilly, K.J. Four for the Road. Simon & Schuster, 2022. 280 p. $18.99 978-1-665-90228-1. Grades 7-12.

One year ago, Asher Hunting’s mom was killed in a car accident by a drunken truck driver, who, due to a technicality, faced no penalties. For him, life continues. But for Asher, guilt over his part in the accident, along with revenge, consume his thoughts. He’s gone so far as to profile the drunk driver online and discover he has a teenage daughter Grace, who Asher ‘catfishes,’ planning to take her to her prom. Asher’s supportive father waits for him to process the grief, even taking him to multiple grief groups. In these groups, Asher meets Sloane, whose dad died of cancer; Will, whose little brother was in the minority of those to die from neuroblastoma; and eighty-year-old Henry, whose wife has died. The prom–and Asher’s revenge–is approaching, leading these four on a road trip from New Jersey to Graceland. Each person is seeking something different to heal their grief–and the success of each depends upon the unknowns of the trip and upon each other. By turns sarcastic and realistically grief-laden, this novel showcases grief and the things we need from each other. Asher’s voice rings true as the modern-day Holden Caulfield with a deep reason to voice his pain, confusion, and desperation. Although humorous at times, the novel does not downplay each character’s pain and growth. And when Asher arrives at Grace’s house, readers are treated to another unexpected character, and she is no shamed, wilting damsel.

THOUGHTS: This is a heart-wrenching and heart-healing book about grief, and readers will root for Asher, Sloane, Will, Henry, and Grace on their journey. It strikes just the right balance of humor, introspection, pain, and healing. Highly recommended.

Realistic Fiction          Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD

MG – A Duet for Home

Posted on by
Reply

Glaser, Karina Yan. A Duet for Home. Clarion Books, 2022.  978-0-544-87640-8. 358 p. $16.99. Grades 4-7.

The Yang family has just experienced a terrible loss, and June, her little sister Maybelle, and her mother are homeless as well as grief-stricken. They end up at Huey House, a shelter for homeless families in New York City, and begin to try to fit into a new and unfamiliar life. A whole host of characters, including some long-time residents of the shelter, rally around June and support her as she begins to put her life back together, but then the shelter itself is threatened as the director looks for ways to save money.

THOUGHTS: This is a heart wrenching and heartwarming story highlighting the plight of homeless children and the importance of empathetic and helpful assistance programs to help families get back on their feet. June struggles to be as strong and brave as her mother and sister need her to be, and Tyrell struggles to keep his life going in a positive direction even when it seems almost impossible to do the right thing. The characters in his book are so real and appealing that readers cannot help but root for them to succeed in spite of all the hardships they face.

Realistic Fiction Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD

MG – The Edge of In Between

Posted on by
Reply

Savaryn, Lorelei. The Edge of In Between. Viking Books for Young Readers, 2022. ISBN 9780593202098. 304 p. $17.99 Grades 4-8.

Lottie enjoys an idyllic life with her parents in a city where almost everyone she knows has magical abilities. The Living Gray somehow exist without magic, but Lottie is sure that she will never suffer that depressing and magic-less fate. Then Lottie experiences a tremendous tragedy, and her magic slips away, leaving her feeling lost and hopeless. When Lottie’s uncle offers her a chance to live in the In Between and regain her magic and her family, she jumps at the chance, but the magic she is searching for seems permanently out of reach. Eventually, Lottie befriends a family who lives and works on her uncle’s estate and discovers that she can learn to coexist with loss, not as one of the Living Gray, but as a vivid character in a rich and rewarding life of her own.

THOUGHTS: Reminiscent of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden, this book strikes all the right notes of tragic orphan storytelling and dreamy magical realism. Discussions about life, grief, letting go of lost family, and moving forward with joy are all part of this haunting story. The way Lottie and her new friends intertwine and support each other leaves the reader with a satisfyingly hopeful ending.

Fantasy Fiction          Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD

Elem. – The Bird Feeder

Posted on by
Reply

Larsen, Andrew. The Bird Feeder. Illustrated by Dorothy Leung. Kids Can Press, 2022. 978-1-525-30483-5. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-6.

Grandma loves birds, and when illness causes her to move into her grandchild’s house, she brings her beloved bird feeder with her. Together, grandma and grandchild watch birds, talk, and draw together. When grandma moves to a hospice, Mom describes hospice as a place where she will be more comfortable and receive special care. The grandchild feels sad and hopeless about grandma’s move–unable to fully understand that is where she needs to be now… but over time realizes hospice isn’t a scary place and Grandma is still Grandma, even in this new place. On the child’s second visit, the bird feeder is hung outside the grandmother’s window, and they are back to watching, drawing, and spending time together. Over time, grandma sleeps more and spends more time in bed, waking when the therapy dog visits. One of the birds builds a nest in the birdfeeder tree. Grandma sees the nest, but her grandchild is sad that she passes away before she sees the birds leave the nest. The connection to grandma remains strong for the child, however, in the drawings hung around the house, the birdfeeder hung on a branch outside the bedroom window, and the child’s love of birds.

THOUGHTS: The Bird Feeder’s illustrations and text work together beautifully to tell a story that centers on terminal illness that is both comforting and honest. Mom is shown as a reassuring presence, and the grandchild could be a boy or girl, leaving the reader to connect to the child in their own way. Grandma is depicted growing more tired and less able as the book progresses, but she surrounded by love in family, the hospice facility dog, and the growing collection of artwork she and her grandchild created. The ending gives a nod to how our loved ones live in us, even when gone. A highly recommended, must-have for library shelves for the moment a child or family needs this book. 

Picture Book  Hannah J. Thomas, Central Bucks SD

Elem. – The Treasure Box

Posted on by
Reply

Keane, David. The Treasure Box. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2022. 978-1-984-81318-3. Unpaged. $17.99. Grades K-2.

A young girl enjoys collecting found objects outside and sharing them with her grandfather. She keeps them in a special wooden box with a latch. When he comes to visit, they look over the items and often go out looking for more. Her grandfather’s health goes into a decline, and eventually he is hospitalized. One day her parents share the sad news that her grandfather has died. At the funeral home, the young girl looks at the pictures of her grandfather when he was young and says her goodbyes. At home, she does not open the treasure box because she knows it will make her sad. After a while, her grandmother, now alone, comes to visit. She gives her granddaughter some things her grandad wanted her to have from their treasure hunts: his blue cap, his magnifying glass, and his watch. Grandmother and granddaughter share their grief as they examine the contents of the box. Eventually the pair goes out hunting for new objects together. Bell uses scanned textures and digital collage to create warm, touching, and engaging illustrations. This technique allows the items to stand out, especially on the page with the snakeskin and the parachutist. The message from this moving story is best summed up on the back cover- “Time with grandparents is the greatest treasure of all.”

THOUGHTS: This picture book handles the experiences of loss and grief in a sensitive way that is accessible to young children. It shows that the connection between grandparents-grandchild remains strong even after death. This is a must-have for all elementary libraries.

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

MG – If You Read This

Posted on by
Reply

Getten, Kereen. If You Read This. Delacorte Press, 2022. 978-0-593-17004-5.$16.99. 168 p. Grades 4-7.

It has been three years since Brie’s free-wheeling, spontaneous, loving mother succumbed to cancer. Papa buries himself in work at the Jamaican resort he manages, and Brie feels invisible to him and her Nana. Only her good friends, Smiley and Femi keep her going. When Brie’s twelfth birthday arrives, she is unhappily surprised by a big party with everyone she knows from her close knit island neighborhood. Only the bestowal of a special gift from her deceased Mama makes the day memorable. Inside a box, Brie finds letters from her Mama taking her on a treasure hunt to her Grandfather Brim’s home in search of a secret door. Her father arranges for the trip, which turns into a family affair with aunt, uncle, grandmother, and best friends, but he does not accompany them–disobeying her mother’s directives. Grandfather Brim’s home is magical and organic with tree-chairs, fairy lights, and bright colors. Brim has dementia, though, and now lives in a care facility. With each letter, Brie receives another clue to finding the secret door; but can’t shake her disappointment that her Papa isn’t with her, convincing her that he must not care about her. In one of the letters, Mama tells Brie of a key which leads to a visit to Grandfather Brim at the care home and his abduction by Brie. Her actions enable her to get the necessary key, but incur Papa’s anger. Brie finds the secret place her Mama intended for her and discovers her father’s hand in this special gift. This revelation helps to restore Brie’s and Papa’s relationship and secure a plan to include Brim and this unique place in her life. This heart-warming story of loss and love includes Jamaican dialect and cultural traditions that create an authentic setting.  

THOUGHTS: Author Kereen Geffen creates strong characters, from Brie’s effusive mother, to her insightful friend Femi, to the town’s bus driver, Jackfruit–all are described deftly. In addition to dealing with her grief and consequent feelings of inadequacy, Brie has to cope with her grandfather’s dementia. He recognizes Brie as his daughter. Brie remembers her mother’s cavalier ways fondly, but Papa had to deal with some negative backlash from his wife’s impulsivity. The vehicle of the letters leading to the secret room is different, especially since it entails only three letters with clues to a specific place. Readers who like family stories or who have suffered the death of someone close may like this book.

Realistic Fiction          Bernadete Cooke, School District of Philadelphia

MG – The Lost Ryu

Posted on by
Reply

Cohen, Emi Watanabe. The Lost Ryu. Levine Querido, 2022. 978-1-646-14132-6. 200 p. $17.99. Grades 5-8.

This book explores an alternate history full of magical realism where dragons or “ryu” are real; some big ryu even helped Japan fight in WWII, but now most big dragons have disappeared. Even though they both care for small family dragons as pets and companions, Kohei and his new friend Isolde want to try to find a “big” dragon and bring back the majestic creatures who were lost after the war. Kohei is also trying to discover more about the father who passed away when he was three and reconnect with his mother and grandfather, who both seem stuck in the past. Will Kohei and Isodle ever discover where the big ryu have gone, and will that discovery help to heal all the terrible scars the war has left on the world?

THOUGHTS: Students who like historical fiction and fantasy will like this imaginative take on friendship, family, and Japanese dragon mythology. Kohei is Japanese, Isolde is Japanese-Jewish, and the story uses their mutual love of dragons to help them deal with the complicated history of Japan, World War II, and the Holocaust. The relationships in this book also show the struggles of children who cope with the trauma suffered by their parents and contain hopeful messages about learning how to move forward after tragedies have happened within a family.

Historical Fiction          Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD

YA – The New Girl

Posted on by
Reply

Sutanto, Jesse. The New Girl. Sourcebooks, 2022. 350 p. $10.99 (paper) 978-1-728-21519-8. Grades 9-12. 

Thanks to her running speed on the track, Lia Setiawan has been given a full scholarship to prestigious Draycott Academy, and she is determined to prove she deserves it. But the school is full of extremely wealthy young people–think private jets, designer drugs, and racist, elitist attitudes. Because she begins mid-year after the dismissal of the outspoken drug-addicted Sophie, she finds few people to welcome her.  Draycott’s dirt app closely follows every student, and students anonymously post about everyone and everything (which isn’t about to end well). It turns out that Sophie had complaints about unfair grading practices of English instructor Mr. Werner, and Mr. Werner very pointedly informs Lia she does not belong in his class. Lia insists on staying in the class only to find herself failing dismally despite extreme diligence to the classwork.  She begins to suspect that some students have paid Mr. Werner for their grades, and she knows she’ll never be able to do that, and her track scholarship depends on her grades. Lia instantly connects with the drool-worthy Danny, who is another reason to fight for her place. But the dirt, the revenge, and the drugs begin to take their toll, and when Lia is the one to find Sophie dead in Mr. Werner’s office, she realizes that she needs to play the game even harder if she’s going to win–or live.

THOUGHTS: Like Sutanto’s The Obsession (2021), this novel features characters who can and will go to extremes to hide, succeed, and get revenge. By the novel’s end, nearly every character has a twisted secret revealed. And after the death Lia causes, tension rises to see if she will be revealed, too.  A good choice for suspense addicts.  

Mystery          Melissa Scott, Shenango Area SD
Realistic Fiction

YA – Full Flight

Posted on by
Reply

Schumacher, Ashley. Full Flight. Wednesday Books, 2022. 978-1-250-77978-6. $18.99. 309 p. Grades 9-12.

In the provincial town of Enfield, Texas, Weston Ryan seems a rebel with his leather jacket and motorcycle and his bad reputation for cutting down the sapling Memorial Tree on the high school campus. His vulnerability is what shy, curvy, sixteen-year old Anna James sees. Both are members of the school’s marching band, and when they are paired for a duet, sparks fly. Perpetually obedient Anna tells lies to carve out time with Weston as their sweet romance builds. Her tight-knit family–strict but nurturing parents and 12 year old sister, Jenny–keep tabs on her every move and don’t approve of Weston. While Weston, reeling from his parents’ recent divorce, bounces back and forth between his depressed father and his distant mother. As the band competition approaches, Anna and Weston have ironed out the bumps in their duet and displayed their mutual love confidently to friends and classmates. Weston’s joy in life is Anna, and Anna is an expert in plunging Weston’s depths and revealing his goodness. Only the hurdle of Anna’s parents needs to be vaulted. All seems in proper alignment for these star-crossed lovers until tragedy strikes. Told in alternating voices, this well-written love story offers two teens masking insecurities and depression who learn to understand each other and themselves. All characters seem to be white. 

THOUGHTS: Though no evidence is present, this book seems to be reflective of an experience in the author’s life. Perhaps because of this, little diversity appears. It does deal with body image, judgment, and depression. The boyfriend dies in an accident in the end; but Anna lives through it, a stronger person for having been loved. The story may appeal to those longing for a romance; students who come from small towns may identify with having one’s life in view of everyone. A strong Christian element runs through  this book: One example, one of Anna’s and Weston’s successful ruses is going to the Church youth group. Schumacher writes well and the dialogue between Anna and Weston is unique and meaningful, thus raising this novel to a higher level. After a long prelude, Anna and Weston eventually have intercourse, but with no graphic details. I did not like the cover. Though well-written, the story was not compelling to me, but may appeal to a niche audience. 

Realistic Fiction          Bernadette Cooke  School District of Philadelphia

MG – Aviva vs. the Dybbuk

Posted on by
Reply

Lowe, Mari. Aviva vs. the Dybbuk. Levine Querido, 2022. 978-1-646-14125-8. $17.99. 176 p. Grades 5-8.

Aviva vs. the Dybbuk takes on an unusual theme in a not frequently used setting. Sixth grader Aviva Jacobs is an orthodox Jewish girl plagued by a dybbuk (“a ghost of a deceased person who returns to complete a certain task”). Aviva’s family unit–she and her mother–is not doing well. The reader knows that Abba has died in an unnamed accident five years prior. Since then, Aviva’s life is off kilter. Through the kindness of their close knit community, her mother manages the mikvah (“pool used for religious immersion”) and lives in the apartment above it. The reader also sees that Ema is depressed, but Aviva just views the disappearance of her vibrant, soft-spoken mother into a scared, nervous agoraphob. Aviva, too, has become an outsider from her classmates and estranged from her best friend, Kayla. Instead, her constant companion is the mischievous dybbuk who only she can see. The dybbuk soaps the floor in the mikvah, unplugs the refrigerator, rips up checks, and generally haunts Aviva. Moreover, the mikvah and the shul are under attack: A swastika is on the sidewalk outside the shul. In the midst of this disruption, Aviva and Kayla–both talented players– get into an altercation at the machanayim, “a ball game played in some Jewish schools and camps.” The consequence of their action is having to plan the annual Bas Mitzvah Bash at the arcade. The planning sessions reignite Aviva’s and Kayla’s friendship in the weeks before the event and seem to have a positive effect on Ema as well. The dybbuk, also, is in high gear with wild shenanigans that Aviva attempts to stop. As Kayla and Aviva grow closer, and the caring community rallies around Ema, anti-semitism rears its ugly head, forcing Aviva to recall her father’s death and recognize the effect of that trauma. Lowe’s fluidity with language makes this compact story a smooth read. The emotions displayed in Aviva vs. the Dybbuk coupled with the engaging story give it universal appeal. Includes glossary (excerpted definitions in quotes above).

THOUGHTS: You don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate Aviva’s situation. Lowe presents the story through Aviva’s eyes which may make it more relatable to students: The distant mother, the struggle to be independent and act like everything is fine, the alienation from classmates. Lead readers who like this book to Lilliam Rivera’s young adult novel, Never Look Back. The dybbuk goading Aviva parallels the mysterious creature named Ato who haunts the main character. This well-written, compelling story offers an opportunity for non-Jewish readers to learn about different aspects of the Jewish religion in a non-polemic way. Any way books can open us up to be more tolerant, understanding people is a good thing. 

Realistic Fiction          Bernadette Cooke, School District of Philadelphia