Tag: loss

REVIEW: Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

REVIEW: Hope and Other Punch Lines by Julie Buxbaum

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

For Abbi, it was her first birthday. She was celebrating at day care. She had a paper crown and a red balloon.

For the rest of the world, it was September 11, 2001.

Connie, Abbi’s favorite day care worker, carried her away from the World Trade Center. Someone caught a picture of them fleeing along with a handful of others as the first tower collapses. The photo goes viral. People have the photo framed in their homes or printed on clothes as a symbol of hope triumphing over evil. Everyone knows Abbi as “Baby Hope.”

Noah has been obsessed with the Baby Hope photo for years. But not because of Abbi. He goes to high school with her. But behind her, in the photo, is a guy in a University of Michigan hat and flannel shirt. A man who looks like Noah’s dad. While the story is that his dad died that day – while newborn Noah was in the hospital with a heart defect – the picture shows him – alive.

Review

This was everything I was hoping for when I first read the synopsis. Abbi and Noah are fabulous. They are my favorite sort of teens – honest, awkward, sincere, and sweet. Both carry the burden of 9/11, although in different ways. While for many people it’s remembered in a “where were you when” sort of way, 9/11 is a daily factor for these characters (and others in reality.).

The author weaves real factors from 9/11 into her fictional account, giving it extra weight. The stories characters tell about the aftermath – their gratitude, their grief – feel very real. And they are raw and heartbreaking at times. Yet the story as a whole maintains a hopeful tone. It’s really masterfully woven together.

Readers with personal ties to 9/11 could find this triggering for grief and/or trauma. Readers who are curious about 9/11 and the personal toll of the day and the aftermath will get a glimpse of that here. This is also a great story for anyone who loves teen romance, dual perspective storytelling or just terrific YA stories. Don’t miss this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

REVIEW: Planet Grief by Monique Polak

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic ARC/ review copy of this book from Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Abby is furious with her father. She does NOT want to spend her weekend at some grief retreat. She’d rather be at soccer – with friends, running around, not thinking about how it is almost Mother’s Day and her mother is dead. If only a heart transplant had come through for her sooner, or if she had not even gotten sick at all.

Christopher isn’t quite as reluctant about the grief retreat as Abby. His main worry is that someone will find out exactly HOW his father died. His mom assures him that the retreat leader, Eugene, is the only one who will know. But Christopher still walks in with his defenses up.

The other kids in the group are Gustavo who has been to grief retreat before because of his father’s death. As a seasoned participant, he helps Eugene with the group activities. Antoine and his moms are grieving the loss of Antoine’s little brother who died from SIDS. And Felicia is there because both of her parents died.

As Abby and Christopher experience grief retreat and participate in some exercises to help them with their losses, they are surprised by the things they learn about their fellow group members – and about themselves.

Review

This is an emotional and touching story. And it is so well written. I felt like the grief and emotions expressed by the characters were completely on target. I felt them and understood them. The complicated experience of grief was portrayed in a way that middle grade readers can understand. I think kids who have experienced loss could read this and feel understood. They might even get some new insights into their own grief experience. Kids who have not experienced death have a chance to gain insight and empathy by reading the experience of these characters.

I think this book could find a home in every single classroom and school library as well as home libraries. For those who tend to avoid books with gay characters due to religious reasons, I think the two moms in this story (who are never in a scene together due to the extreme grief of one of the women) are a small part of a much larger – and much more important – story. I think the value of this book to grieving kids and their friends far outweighs any questions the kids might have about a character with two moms.

I highly recommend this story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

REVIEW: Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Once upon a time, Rachel and Henry were best friends. And Rachel wondered if it might be more than just friendship. In a moment of great bravery, just before she moves away, Rachel writes Henry a note about how she feels. She asks him to call when he gets it. He never mentions the note or her declaration.

Years later, Rachel returns. A lot has changed. She barely responded to Henry’s letters and emails while she was away. Even in the midst of personal tragedy, she didn’t reach out to him. Now, not only are they in the same town, but she’s working at his family’s bookstore. She’ll see him every day. How’s that going to work?

Henry’s thrilled to have his best friend back. But Rachel has changed. She’s angry and private. She won’t explain why she stopped talking to him. As his divorced parents discuss selling their home and the bookstore, though, Henry will need Rachel, his old best friend, who understands the value of the store and the memories they’ve made there.

Review

Is it possible to both like and not like a book at the same time? While not a happy story per se, this is a beautiful look at grief and loss, friendship and love, and the value of words. The author does an excellent job of describing the losses experienced by the characters and their attempts to move forward in life and in their grief.

I liked the main characters, although I wanted to shake them at times. Henry’s infatuation with Amy was frustrating as Rachel’s assessment of her motives was always completely on target. And that assessment should have clued her into some things that happened in the story. Many of the characters felt stuck, repeating the same choices or feeling like they had no other choices. I liked characters like Martin and Cal who seemed healthy and optimistic about the future.

I struggle to describe this sort of book. I liked it in that it was well written and emotionally honest with characters I wanted to see succeed. At the same time, it’s emotionally heavy. I can’t say that I enjoyed the journey with these characters all the time. If you are looking for a happy-go-lucky sort of story, this is not what you are looking for. But if you want to read something that will hit you emotionally and make you think, give this a try. I would recommend this to older teens and young adults due to language and the emotional weight of the story.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥