Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

Eleven-year-old Aubrey was riding in the car with her family when a tragic accident killed her father and younger sister. Her mother, who was driving the car, was so devastated and depressed that she left Aubrey all alone. When Aubrey's grandmother gets worried because no one is returning her phone calls, she travels from Vermont to Virginia and discovers that Aubrey is living by herself. Aubrey soon moves to Vermont to live with her grandmother and is eventually able to begin healing and dealing with her grief and feelings of abandonment.

Love, Aubrey is a beautifully-written novel and filled with heart-wrenching sadness. Aubrey is a believable character who goes through periods of denial, grief, and anger. Her grandmother is an exceptionally strong woman and is instrumental in helping Aubrey recover as is Aubrey's new friend, Bridget, and her guidance counselor, Amy, at the school. Told from Aubrey's point-of-view, readers get an inside look at a child who has suffered a great loss, and I think this would be an excellent book for a child who has experienced a loss in his or her life. It would also be a great book for adults who are helping a child through such a loss.

I also think this is the perfect book for a kid who likes heart-wrenching books. I know when I was a child, I would have devoured this book, and even reading it as an adult, I found it inspiring to see how someone, a child nonetheless, dealt with such a devastating loss. I started crying on the first page and didn't stop until the book was finished.

Highly recommended, but don't forget your tissues.


ISBN: 978-0385737746 | Wendy Lamb Books | June 9, 2009 | Source: review copy from publisher | Buy from an independent bookstore | Buy from Amazon