Sad Books

Geithner, Carole. If Only. (1 March 2012)

Corinna's mother has died over the summer after a very brief bout with cancer that leaves Corinna and her father reeling. Going back to school is hard, because someone is forever saying something insensitive. Her best friend, Joci, doesn't understand why Corinna kept so much to herself, and retreats from the friendship. Luckily, there is a new girl, Clare, who understands how Corinna feels because Clare's father died several years ago, and it's still hard. There are neighbors and friends who are helpful, and some who are not, there are hard anniversaries, and a grief support group at school that Corinna grudgingly finds to help. Following the year after her mother's death, this book describes in great detail the different stages of grief and coping that Corinna and her father travel through.

Strengths: The bio on the back flap says that Ms. Geithner has worked with children who have experienced a parental death, and this clearly shows in the wealth of details. The story does move along well, and while Corinna is still grieving after a year, things are improving somewhat.

Weaknesses: VERY sad. This was hard to read in one sitting, since there are so many painful details.

Knowles, Jo. See You at Harry's (8 May 2012)
Fern's parents spend a lot of time at the family restaurant their grandfather started, Harry's, and love to use their family in the commercials. Sara is taking a gap year and not thrilled with the whole idea, although she does appreciate one of the busboys. Three-year-old Charlie is a handful, but the light of everyone's lives. Holden is struggling with bullies at school and his first romance... with an older boy, Gray. Fern is just trying to understand her friend Ran, to take care of Charlie, and to help Holden with the painful process of coming out to their family. When a tragedy occurs, Fern finds it hard to do even the simplest things and isn't sure that life will ever be right again.
Strengths: This will be one that teachers love. Holden's story is certainly well done and compelling, and seeing it through Fern's eyes is an interesting way to approach it.
Weaknesses: The tragedy completely swamps the story in pages of catatonic, unable to cope handwringing. I am sure this is exactly how a close-knit family would react; I just didn't find it interesting to read about. Middle school students usually like to read stories without so much parental involvement, and younger students might not understand the nuanced story of Holden's self discovery.

Did learn that I will read any book with blue gingham on the cover!

Lowry, Lois. Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye. (1978)                  
Natalie is perfectly happy with her kooky, artistic mother and her supportive doctor father, but as she is preparing to graduate from high school and make her way in the world, she is curious as to what would have caused her birth mother to give her up for adoption in 1960. For a graduation present, her parents give her all of the documents that they have surrounding her birth, as well as a credit card for expenses, and their best wishes. Before long, she is traveling to the town where she was born, visiting with doctors and nurses who were at the local hospital at the time, and consulting old newspapers and yearbooks at the public library, and tracking down a series of people before finding her grandmother's phone number and getting the contact information for her birth mother, who lives in New York City. Traveling there, she doesn't quite know what she wants, or what she will find, but knows that she has to answer the questions about who she really is before she can get on with her life.

Strengths: This is still available, in hardcover, from Houghton Mifflin! The search for identity and the longing to know about the past is still palpable. It is more of a young adult novel due to some of the themes. I must have read this in high school-- the cover is so familiar-- and I love Lowry's early work.

Weaknesses: This is unfortunately rather dated. Aside from the mentions of fountain pens and milk men, the whole concept of adoption has changed so radically in the last 35 years that the premise of not having any information about one's birth mother might be incomprehensible. Also, this book was written before the internet, so the whole search process would be completely changed.

Young Adult titles

Davis, Tanita. Happy Families.

Publication date May 8
Ysabel and Justin both have their own interests, but enjoy hanging out with their supportive family. The book starts with them all at one of Ysabel’s art shows, but the next chapter is set much later. The twins’ father has moved out, their mother is stressed, and they don’t want anyone to know what has happened. However, their mother feels they must deal with it, and sends them to stay with their father for spring break so that they can be with him... and come to terms with the fact that there father is transgendered and is trying to decide if he will live his life as a woman. The family goes through counseling and also meets up with other families going through similar difficult times. Ysabel and Justin just want things to be the way they were-- they miss having their father around and are confused and more than a little embarrassed about this turn of events.

Strengths: This is incredibly sensitive and well-researched, and the guide to the preferred way of referring to situations and conditions is very helpful. I can’t think of another book on the topic of dealing with transgendered parents, and I have known students who struggled with this issue.
Weaknesses: This is more of a high school book, not because of the content, but because of the tone. So much of this is about longing for family unity, and middle school students are more concerned about breaking away from their families, hence the whole phenomenon of orphans in middle grade fiction. This is completely appropriate for middle school, just not a title that those students will seek out.

Banks, Anna. Of Poseidon.

Emma and her friend Chloe are vacationing at the seashore. Right after literally running into the handsome Galen, Emma's friend is killed by a shark. Galen and Emma tried to save her, and it turns out that Emma can talk to the shark, although it's too late to save Chloe. Galen has come searching for Emma at the behest of Dr. Milligan, a human whom Galen saved and who saw Emma at the Gulfarium he runs. Suspecting that she is also a Syrena (basically a mermaid), Dr. Milligan has Galen hunt her down. Galen's sister Rayna and his human assistant Rachel (who is pretending to be his mother) take up residence in Emma's community, get to know her, and try to figure out whether she is or isn't "of Poseidon".

Strengths: Mr. Buxton, our language arts teacher and a fellow blogger, told his students about the book Ripple, and they all wanted to read it, so mermaids hold some fascination. This is an interesting take on the legend, told from both Galen's and Emma's perspective.

Weaknesses: This was hard to follow, and a bit creepy. Emma's mother seemed to want Galen to sleep with her, and there is a lot of talk about the merfolk mating that was just... weird and creepy. This moves it firmly into the young adult category, although there isn't anything graphic.

John, Antony. Thou Shalt Not Road Trip.

Luke Dorsey was writing parables with his young group, and his were so good that the pastor managed to help him get a book published. Now, he is on the road doing book signings at a variety of Christian book stores. His agnostic brother Matt is driving, and is a little too excited about the unlimited expense account (they are in a Hummer but still staying at some dive hotels). Along the way, they pick up Matt's sometimes girlfriend Alex, and her sister Fran, in whom Luke was, although now Fran has taken up drinking in a big way. Each character discovers different things about themselves on the trip, although nothing really happens. (Like spies, explosions, car chases or other things that middle grade readers look for in "great literature".)

Strengths: Road trip books are always good. John's writing is quite nice, and his characters are well developed.

Weaknesses: This is just more of a young adult book, concerned with how people feel and grow as people. It was also, given the reason for the road trip, VERY Christian in aspect.