As most of you know, I (retired but active librarian Ms Pat) do a lot of book clubs for a wide age-range of children and young adults. This being said, I also read a lot of junior fiction books for the book clubs and in preparation for the book clubs. I also love junior fiction; I guess it's my genre of choice.
I took this book to read while waiting in a doctor's office today and read the whole thing! (Well, part of it was read at Chicken Express as I ate my late lunch!) It's a wonderful read about a family and their friends who search for a way past a tragedy in their lives. It would be a great book to help you open a dialog with your children about loss. In a gentle and positive way, it shows ways to cope with loss and how to get past it in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way. Read it with your children or read it for yourself; it's a quick, easy-to-read book.
Patricia MacLachlan is one of my favorite junior fiction writers. You may know her best for her "Sarah, Plain and Tall" books, which were made into Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. So turn off the TV and set your phone or other device aside and read this little book about the impact people can have on our lives.
P.S. There are shelter dogs in the book which help to save the day!