Gr 4-6 How does a child recover from unspeakable loss? For Aubrey, 11, it takes time, love, stability, and the emotional release that comes from writing letters. After her father and younger sister die in a car accident, Aubrey's mother becomes psychologically unstable and abandons her. Uprooted from her home in Virginia, Aubrey goes to live with her grandmother in Vermont. Along with Gram's love, she finds solace in spending time with the family next door and acquires a best friend in the process. When her mother materializes and begins her emotional recovery, Aubrey must decide whether to return home or to remain with her grandmother. Throughout the grieving process, her emotions are palpable. LaFleur captures the way everyday occurrences can trigger a sudden flood of memories and overwhelming feelings of renewed loss. She details the physical responses of the human body to emotional trauma with an immediacy that puts readers inside Aubrey's pain and loss. The child's progress is reflected in her letters, which are at first directed to her sister's imaginary friend, then to her dead father and sister, and finally to the mother who hurt her so deeply. While the grandmother's patience and insight at times stretch credulity, for those who want or need to experience grief vicariously, this is an excellent choice. Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL

In this touching debut novel, a devastating accident leaves an 11-year-old girl grieving and alone until her grandmother and some new friends provide comfort and support. When Aubrey's father and sister are killed in an automobile accident, her shattered mother disappears, leaving her alone in their Virginia home. In denial, Aubrey tells no one, pretends everything is fine and lives on Cheerios, SpaghettiOs, crackers and cheese. Eventually her grandmother takes her to Vermont, where Aubrey remains withdrawn and unable to discuss her loss except in letters she never mails. With the support of her grandmother, her new best friend and the school counselor, Aubrey's life gradually starts to seem slightly normal—until her mother appears, forcing her to face difficult new issues. Speaking in the first-person past tense, an initially detached Aubrey tells the story from her wobbly perspective, dropping hints about the accident and her mother's abandonment until the pieces fit together. Her detailed progression from denial to acceptance makes her both brave and credible in this honest and realistic portrayal of grief. (Fiction. 9-14)

Having survived a car crash that claimed her father's and sister's lives, eleven-year-old Aubrey faces many challenges, compounded when her mother abandons her. Fortunately Aubrey is taken in by her grandmother, a no-nonsense New Englander, who connects Aubrey with her extended family and neighbors in order to remind her how to love. A heartwarming story of resiliency, hope, and friendship.

LaFleur's moving debut offers a convincing first-person narration of a girl coping in the wake of tragedy. When 11-year-old Aubrey's mother drives away one morning, leaving her alone in their house, Aubrey resolutely takes care of herself for a week, buying canned food (and a pet fish) with birthday money and watching TV. After Aubrey's concerned grandmother arrives (Aubrey hasn't been answering the phone) and takes her home with her to Vermont, the devastating circumstances behind her mother's departure become clear: Aubrey's family has recently been in a car accident, in which both her father and little sister were killed. Aubrey grapples with her abandonment by displaying psychosomatic symptoms—she gets frequent bouts of nausea—and through symbolic gestures (she periodically composes letters to her sister's imaginary friend, which are interspersed throughout). With the support of a neighbor her age, her grandmother and a school counselor who encourages her to write letters to her family, Aubrey begins to accept her loss and to understand her mother's complex motivations for leaving. The relationships at the center of Aubrey's struggle—with her mother, grandmother and with herself—are fleshed out with honesty and sensitivity. Ages 9–14. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(June)

Starred Review When 11-year-old Aubrey's mother disappears one day, unable to cope with the car accident that killed Aubrey's father and sister, Aubrey decides she can survive on her own. Settling down to wait for her mother's return, Aubrey takes over the household with the company of her new pet fish. Sensing something is wrong, her gruff grandmother arrives and brings Aubrey to her home where, along with a new friend and a school guidance counselor, she helps Aubrey face the loss of her family and begin to heal. In a simple yet powerful first-person narration, Aubrey shares her inner turmoil, divulges memories, and writes letters to those she's lost. But her words don't always tell the whole story, and it is often what she doesn't say that reveals the full extent of her pain, anger, sadness, confusion, and efforts to understand what has happened to her life. Her struggle to overcome being "stuck" ("I couldn't have back what was gone, and I couldn't go forward because I didn't want to start forgetting") may offer strength to children who are suffering from a loss of their own. LaFleur proves she is an author to watch in this debut novel, a heartbreaking and honest look at family trauma that is devastating, humorous, sad, and, most of all, real.