Intermediate and Junior High (Fiction/Nonfiction)

Banks, Kate
Friends of the Heart, FSG, 2005
While at her grandparents’ Italian home, Lucrezia must deal with a
changing friendship and personal tragedy.
Ages 10-14
 
Brisson, Pat
Sky Memories, Delacorte Press, 1999
Emily is 10 when her mom is diagnosed with cancer and 11 when
she dies.
Ages 9-13
 
Bryant, Jen
Pieces of Georgia, Knopf, 2006
Through journaling, thirteen-year old Georgia describes her grieving
process in the loss of her mother. She discovers new friends and artistic
talent in herself similar to her deceased mother’s.
Ages 8-13
 
Fletcher, Ralph
Fig Pudding, Clarion, 1995
Shows how a family grieves a first Christmas after a son dies, depicting
pain, conflicts, changes, surprises, and bonding.
Ages 8-13
 
Friedman, D. Dina
Playing Dad’s Song, FSG, 2006
Story of Gus’ pain with the loss of his father on 9-11-01, plus dealing
with the school bully, and his friend moving. He forges a path toward
acceptance and remembrance with his music teacher’s help.
Ages 10-14
 
Greene, C. C.
Beat the Turtle Drum, Viking, 1976
Pictures a sister’s, a family’s, and a neighborhood’s grief and initial
recovery as a daring younger sister reaches a goal just before her death.
Ages 8-13
 
Hamilton, Virginia
Cousins, Philomel, 1997
Portrays a cousin’s thoughts, including guilt, when she witnesses a
cousin die accidentally. Adults and children learn to cope with loss more
effectively.
Ages 9-13
 
Henkes, Kevin
Words of Stone, Greenwillow, 1992
Shows how an adolescent girl angry at her mother’s abandonment
befriends a boy whose mother has died of cancer. Empathy and
understanding grow.
Ages 10-14
 
Howard, Ellen
The Tower Room, Atheneum, 1993
Portrays a girl’s anxieties in moving in with an aunt and grandfather
after her mother’s death. She discovers her mother’s death was not a
punishment and accepts love.
Ages 10-14
 
Park, Barbara
Mick Harte Was Here, Yearling Press, 1996
Story of the grieving process of a friend after Mick was not wearing his
bike helmet.
Ages 10-14
 
Rylant, Cynthia
Missing May, Orchard Books, 1992
Sensitively shows the grieving and initial healing of an orphan girl and
her uncle after aunt’s death.
Ages 8-13
 
Smith, Doris Buchanan
A Taste of Blackberries, Big A & C (Harper Collins), 1992
No one, least of all his best friend, dreamed that Jamie’s exuberance
and a harmless prank could end in his sudden death. When it does, his
friend must find the strength to bear his grief and his feeling that he
might have saved his friend.
Ages 7-13
 
Thesman, Jean
Nothing Grows Here, Harper Collns, 1994
Family rebuilds after the father’s unexpected death—through eyes
of a 12-year-old.
Ages 10-14
 
Walker, Alice
To Hell With Dying, Harcourt Brace, 1967
A beautifully illustrated book that follows the dying and death of a
loving neighbor who is an alcoholic and diabetic. Narrated by a young
girl from her grade school years through college. Her reflections mirror
her growing acceptance of death.
Ages 8-12
 
Whelan, Gloria
Forgive the River, Forgive the Sky, Erdmans Books, 2003
12-year old Lilly struggles with her feelings following her dad dying
in the river.
Ages 9-13