Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Love, Aubrey

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. Published 2009.

One of my students had been telling me that this was her favorite book and she recently donated a copy to the library, so I thought it was as good a time as any to read it.

This one surprised me in that its good to be reminded that sometimes younger students enjoy sad books where bad things happen because it lets them live out a sort of fantasy that allows them to explore deeper emotions and wonder about things without the threat of those things really needing to happen.

In this story, eleven year old Aubrey Priestly is found by her grandmother living alone after her mother abandons her. We soon find out that her mother has ran away because she can't deal with her feelings of having been the driver in a car accident that killed her husband and her younger daughter. Aubrey moves to Vermont with her grandmother and must not only deal with her grief and emotions over the loss of her family but also the questions that surround how her mother could abandon her on top of all that. Step by step, Aubrey makes her way back to the world of the living with the help of her grandmother and her new friend, the next-door-neighbor Bridget, and Bridget's family.

The story is told with letters written by Aubrey, first person narrative and flashbacks to times with her family. It is very melancholy and emotional, but there is hope for Aubrey and her family, making it a tale about growing up, but under very specific circumstances.

Interest level: Grades 3-6 Reading level: Grade 4
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Drama

Comparable titles: Songs for a Teenage Nomad

Book connections: Loss of a family member, counseling, letter writing, Betta fish

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