
A parent should reach for this book when their child is navigating the quiet, lingering fog of grief or feeling emotionally disconnected from a parent who is also hurting. It is a tender resource for families where a loss occurred years ago but the emotional weight remains heavy and unspoken in the household. The story follows Amelia, a seventh-grader who lost her mother as a toddler and lives with her distant, scholarly father. When a mysterious boy enters her life during spring break, she begins to unearth secrets about her past and her mother. It is a quiet, realistic exploration of identity and the way art can help us process what we cannot say. Ideal for children ages 8 to 12, this book provides a safe space to discuss the complexities of single-parent dynamics and the longing for a lost loved one.
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Sign in to write a reviewThe mother's death happened years prior, but is the central emotional vacuum of the book.
The book deals directly with maternal death and the subsequent emotional neglect that can occur when a surviving parent is paralyzed by grief. The approach is secular and deeply realistic. The resolution is not a 'happily ever after' but a hopeful, realistic opening of communication between father and daughter.
A thoughtful, artistic middle-schooler who feels like they are 'parenting' their own emotions because their actual parent is too busy or too sad to engage. It is perfect for the child who expresses themselves through creative outlets like clay or drawing.
Parents should be prepared for the depiction of the father's emotional distance, which may be convicting. The book can be read cold, but it is best followed by a conversation about family history. A parent might choose this after realizing their child is asking more pointed questions about a deceased relative, or if they notice their child has become unusually quiet and self-reliant to avoid 'burdening' the adult.
Younger readers (age 8-9) will focus on the mystery of Casey and the clay art. Older readers (11-12) will resonate with Amelia's burgeoning independence and the frustration of having an emotionally 'absent' parent.
Unlike many books about death that focus on the immediate aftermath, this explores 'old grief' and how it shapes a child's identity over a decade later.
Amelia is a 12-year-old girl living with her father, a man who is emotionally unavailable and deeply immersed in his academic work. Amelia's mother died when she was very young, and she has grown up in a house filled with silence and a sense of 'missingness.' During a spring break spent at her father's workplace (a clay studio), Amelia meets Casey, a boy who claims to have a connection to her mother. The story follows her internal journey as she navigates this potential revelation, her budding friendship with Casey, and her eventual confrontation with her father about the mother she barely remembers.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.