Theme: Grief

The Scar

By Book Importer | Published: November 21, 2011

When his mother dies, a little boy is angry at his loss but does everything he can to hold onto the memory of her scent, her voice, and the special things she did for him, even as he tries to help his father and grandmother cope.

Descriptors: Europe, France, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Picture Book, Primary (ages 6-9), Realistic Fiction » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

Small Acts Of Amazing Courage

By Book Importer | Published: May 12, 2011

It is 1918, six months after the end of World War I, and Rosalind awaits the return of her father from the war. While it is common practice for British children in India to be packed off to boarding school at the age of 6, Rosalind is unusual because she lives and is schooled in [...]

Descriptors: Asia, Historical Fiction, India, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Season of Secrets

By Book Importer | Published: February 15, 2011

Sent by their father to live in the country with their grandparents after the sudden death of their mother, Molly’s older sister Hannah expresses her grief in a raging rebellion while imaginative Molly finds herself increasingly distracted by visions, that seemingly only she can see, of a strange hunt in the nearby forest.

Descriptors: England (UK), Fantasy, Intermediate (ages 9-14) » Other Themes: , , , , , , , , » Leave a comment

The Beginner’s Guide to Living

By Book Importer | Published: February 14, 2011

Seven days after his mother dies in a sudden, senseless accident, seventeen-year-old Will embarks on a search for meaning that leads him to the great philosophers—Plato, Seneca, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche—and to Taryn, the beautiful girl he meets at his mother’s wake. Will is desperate to find, however he can, something authentic, something ultimate, something so true [...]

Descriptors: Australia, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , » Leave a comment

How To Make a Bird

By Book Importer | Published: January 20, 2011

It’s dawn, on an empty road in the countryside. Empty, except for the girl in the long, red evening gown, standing next to a bicycle, and looking back at the home she’s about to leave. Mannie’s ready to start a new life and forget the terrible things that have happened here, but there are questions [...]

Descriptors: Australia, Awards, Fiction, Oceania, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

City Boy

By Book Importer | Published: October 1, 2009

Set in contemporary Malawi, a poignant account of an orphaned boy’s transition from city life to village life. Sam’s widowed mother has died from “the Disease,” and Sam is claimed by his aunt Mercy, who lives in the small African village where Sam’s mother was born and raised. The gap between Sam’s life in the [...]

Descriptors: Africa, Malawi, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , » 1 Comment

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

With unmitigated honesty, a touch of humor, and sensitive illustrations by Quentin Blake, Michael Rosen explores the experience of sadness in a way that resonates with everyone. “Sometimes I’m sad and I don’t know why. It’s just a cloud that comes along and covers me up. Sad things happen to everyone, and sometimes people feel [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Intermediate (ages 9-14), Nonfiction, Primary (ages 6-9) » Other Themes: , , , » Leave a comment

Hunted

By Yoo Kyung Sung | Published: December 1, 2008

Brind, who was raised with Sir Edmund’s pack of hunting dogs, is the huntsman of Dowe Manor. Together with his best friend, the mastiff Glaive, and the rest of the pack, he protects Sir Edmund, Lady Beatrice, and their foster daughter, Aurélie. But suddenly a tragedy strikes, one that Brind cannot prevent. In [...]

Descriptors: Database » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Knife Edge

By Rebecca Ballenger | Published: October 29, 2008

Persephone Hadley is six months pregnant with a mixed-race baby.In their society this fact alone will threaten the child’s life every day. To make matters worse, the baby’s father, Callum, is dead. He was hanged for terrorism months ago, but his presence still torments Sephy. And she’s not alone. Callum’s brother, Jude, blames Sephy for [...]

Descriptors: England (UK), Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , , , , , » Leave a comment

Pack Of Wolves

By Kathy G. Short | Published: March 14, 2007

In the forests of Belorussia in 1942 a group of disabled Russian partisans makes its way to a medical unit while being pursued by traitorous partisans, German soldiers, and vicious dogs.

Descriptors: Europe, Historical Fiction, Russia, Young Adult (ages 14-18) » Other Themes: , , » Comments closed