Mary Bahr

Poignant story with lovely illustrations about a young boy who summers with his grandparents by a lake. His grandfather starts a memory box of artifacts and writings with his grandson as his symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease progress.
A good introduction of a difficult topic.

This book is a good example of contemporary fiction because the events in the book could happen today to students. It does a good job of depicting the emotions that kids might have after someone they know dies. It is straightforward and feels very honest which I think could be helpful to some students encountering grief. Yet I also think this book could be triggering to some who have experienced death before. Therefore, this book should probably only be read by select children.

Review: This heart wrenching story is a good example of realistic fiction because it highlights the complexity of human interaction and prompts readers to empathize with those like the protagonist. The unnamed protagonist grieves and processes the death of his friend Nathan in a way that is sincere, vulnerable and easy to relate to.

Setting: One of the beauties of this story is its background setting because it could take place anytime and anywhere and with any cause of death. Thus, all show more distractions are stripped away so the reader can focus on the theme of grieving the loss of a friend.

Age Appropriateness: intermediate show less

An excellent book to help children cope with grief. Nathan, a young boy, is dead and his best friend is figuring out how to deal with the grief. The paintings are beautiful and the story is simple. It is wonderful to see how the death of Nathan has affected everyone in the community, so the friend doesn't feel completely isolated in his grief. I liked that way it starts with all of the things that would be happening if Nathan were here, and then moves to what is really happening now that he show more is gone. It leaves you with a sense of hope at the end when the boy considers letting Nathan's sister up into his treehouse. show less