Loss and grief are two very real and inevitable facts of life and books can help us feel less alone in our personal experiences with it.
Here’s a collection of middle grade books exploring death, loss and the road forward.
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The Impossible Destiny of Cutie Grackle by Shawn K. Stout
Do you believe in impossible things? Cutie Grackle does. And now, I do, too. Cutie has had a difficult childhood. Her parents disappeared when she was young, her Uncle struggles with his own care and therefore cannot take care of her, she’s always hungry and the one person who goes out of her way to connect with her is leaving. Alone, Cutie starts to unravel her family’s so-called-curse with the help of peculiar ravens that offer her random trinkets that spark memories. These memories, and Cutie’s unbreakable spirit, send her on a journey to her impossible destiny. Or is it? This magical book gives all of us, young and old, the hope we need.
The Order of Things by Kaija Langley
Hold onto your hearts with this book.
As I opened to the first page, I was instantly taken with the lyrical verse and utterly relatable characters, 11-year old April and her best friend, Zee. These two best friends live across the hall from each other and have a shared love of music, a love that takes Zee to a new charter school away from April.
As they each work to find their own way in their new situations, April learns about what it means to have a passion, to not judge others and to find a new way forward, when needed.
Grab your tissues, everyone.
What Stays Buried by Suzanne Young
Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango
I love notebooks, so I absolutely positively loved that this entire book was written as a long series of notebook entries written in verse. It was moving, heartful, lyrical and emotional. In it, we get to know Iveliz through her heartfelt writing as her journal is the only place she can seem to make sense of all the pain in her world. She’s a seventh grade girl dealing with a lot: her father’s death, her mother’s frustration, her grandmother’s dementia, her troubles at school and more. Her notebook is how she copes with it until she slowly opens up to those that care and uses her voice, rather than her uncontrolled actions, to slowly put the pieces back together.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart
Five years. That’s how long Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, have lived on the road in an old school bus, crisscrossing the nation. It’s also how long ago Coyote lost her mom and two sisters in a car crash.
Coyote hasn’t been home in all that time, but when she learns the park in her old neighborhood is being demolished – the very same park where she, her mom, and her sisters buried a treasured memory box – she devises an elaborate plan to get her dad to drive 3,600 miles back to Washington state in four days…without him realizing it.
Along the way, they’ll pick up a strange crew of misfit travelers. Lester has a lady love to meet. Salvador and his mom are looking to start over. Val needs a safe place to be herself. And then there’s Gladys….
Over the course of thousands of miles, Coyote will learn that going home can sometimes be the hardest journey of all…but that with friends by her side, she just might be able to turn her “once upon a time” into a “happily ever after”.
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting–things don’t just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory–even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy’s achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe…and the potential for love and hope right next door.
Center of Gravity by Shaunta Grimes
Tessa is an anxious person, but it’s become worse since her mother died a few months ago. To calm herself down she cuts out photos of missing kids—from milk cartons—and keeps them in a file. It helps her feel like she’s not alone.
When her dad announces suddenly that he’s getting married—and that they’re moving, Tessa must navigate new friendships and a new stepmother. She knows she should let go of old habits, but that’s easier said than done. Her struggle is one that many readers will understand.
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
This book was an incredible gift. Set back in the 1880’s, it invites us into Hanna’s life as her and her father carve out a life for themselves without their beloved wife and mother. Not only does the reader experience a life much different than his or her own in our current times, Linda Sue Park takes us on a journey of self-discovery as we question how the world works for those that are not universally accepted. I cried, I laughed, I thought hard about my own views and actions and was left wanting more. Much more.
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life…until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.
The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
It’s 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.
Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn’t know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it’s too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can’t imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.
Told through Nisha’s letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl’s search for home, for her own identity…and for a hopeful future.
Halfway to Harmony by Barbara O'Connor
I love all of Barbara O’Connor’s books, especially Wish, so I could not wait to get started. And this book did not disappoint. I entered the world of Walter and Posey, a world seemingly so long ago yet filled with the same complexities of life today. Touching upon the themes of family, loss, friendship and adventure, I felt all the feelings of the characters throughout each page. And while the ending may have been a bit predictable, it was filled with a surge of confidence, friendship and most of all, hope.
