While her friends are spending their summers having pool parties and sleepovers, twelve-year-old Carolina -- Carol -- is spending hers in the New Mexico desert, helping her parents move her grandfather into a home for people with dementia. At first, Carol avoids prickly Grandpa Serge. But as the summer wears on, Carol finds herself drawn to him, fascinated by the crazy stories he tells her about a healing tree, a green-glass lake, and the bees that will bring back the rain and end a hundred years of drought. As the line between magic and reality starts to blur, Carol must decide for herself what is possible -- and what it means to be true to her roots.

A heartbreaking story about finding yourself and your people, from the bestselling author of If I Stay, a major film starring Chloë Grace Moretz. For fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, John Green and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist.

'I got this whole-body feeling . . . it was like a message from future me to present me, telling me that in some way we weren’t just bound to happen, that we had, in some sense, already happened. It felt . . . inevitable.'

So far, the inevitable hasn’t worked out so well for Aaron Stein.

While his friends have gone to college and moved on with their lives, Aaron’s been left behind in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State, running a failing bookshop with his dad, Ira. What he needs is a lucky break, the good kind of inevitable.

And then he meets Hannah. Incredible Hannah – magical, musical, brave and clever. Could she be the answer? And could they – their relationship, their meeting – possibly be the inevitable Aaron’s been waiting for?

From Sara Cassidy, acclaimed author of A Boy Named Queen, comes a stunning wordless graphic novel about friendship, loss and hope. For as long as Saanvi can remember, she has been friends with her elderly neighbor Helen. They play cards and garden together and, especially, care for the wild birds that visit Helen's yard. When Helen dies suddenly, a "For Sale" sign goes up, and movers arrive, emptying the house of its furniture and stripping the yard of its birdfeeders. The sparrows and hummingbirds disappear. Soon a bulldozer tears down Helen's house. All winter, Saanvi walks numbly past the property as developers begin to build condos. Then one spring day, amid the dust and turmoil of construction, she finds a weathered playing card wedged between two rocks. She holds it to her chest, and finally sobs. After a tearful night, Saanvi wakes inspired. She slathers peanut butter on pinecones to hang from tree branches, hammers together a birdhouse from scrap wood and drags a kitchen stool outside to hold a bowl of water. Finally, she retrieves a nest that has been unraveling on Helen's old property and places it in a tree in her own yard. Saanvi's yard soon fills with Helen's birds. They have a home again. This beautifully illustrated, wordless graphic novel shows Saanvi's journey through close friendship, then hollowing loss and change, until she finally finds hope. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

How do you give a eulogy when you can't think of one good thing to say? A poignant, funny, and candid look at grief, family secrets, difficult people, and learning to look behind the facade.

As if being stuffed into last year's dress pants at his cousin's wake weren't uncomfortable enough, thirteen-year-old Jimmy has just learned from his mother that he has to say a few words at the funeral the next day. Why him? What could he possibly say about his cousin, who ruined everything they did? He can't recall one birthday party, family gathering, or school event with Patrick that didn't result in injury or destruction. As Jimmy attempts to navigate the odd social norms of the wake, he draws on humor, heartfelt concern, and a good deal of angst while racking his brain and his memory for a decent and meaningful memory to share. But it's not until faced with a microphone that the realization finally hits him: it's not the words that are spoken that matter the most, but those that are truly heard.

A crumbling stone soldier sits on a bench in the park. Only Owen understands how important he is. At home, Owen and his mum are struggling and there's nobody he can talk to. Hidden away in the park, Owen feels free to be himself. When the war-weary soldier is listening, his worries slip away. But nobody else cares about the soldier, and the town council want to tear him down. Owen's the only one who can save him but can he find the courage to speak up before it's too late? A touching story of loss and remembrance from Lisa Thompson, the award-winning author of The Goldfish Boy. Particularly suitable for struggling, reluctant or dyslexic readers aged 8+

Celebrate love in all its forms, as Grandad tells his granddaughter about the adventures he used to have with Gramps. A long time ago, Grandad and Gramps spent many happy days travelling the world together in a camper van. But now Gramps isn't around any more, Grandad doesn't feel much like having adventures. As she listens to his wonderful stories, Grandad's granddaughter has an idea to cheer him up... A perfect story for Grandad on Father's Day. A School Library Journal Best Book of 2021! 'A colour-flooded riot of memory... a poignant sense of intergenerational love and grief made manageable makes this beautiful debut stand out' GUARDIAN 'A glowingly colourful journey of remembered joy, managed grief and renewed delight in living' TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

A deadly contagion races through England...

Isabel and her family have nowhere to run from a disease that has killed half of Europe. When the world she knows and loves ends for ever, her only weapon is courage.

The Black Death of 1349 was the deadliest plague in human history. All Fall Down is a powerful and inspiring story of survival in the face of real-life horror.

Death is difficult to deal with at any age, but for children who are handling it for the first time, it can be extra tough. This engaging book will help young readers learn to navigate this type of situation. It features seven case studies following children who have a range of issues from a girl who misses her mum to a boy who is worried he might die. The end of the book features a short playscript to act out and discuss. Whether it is a friend, family member or acquaintance who has passed away, readers will learn about the best ways to handle death through the help of the relatable stories and colourful illustrations. Practical advice is presented in a way readers of all ages can understand and implement into their own lives. In this series case studies combine with sensible, practical advice to help children find out what to do in difficult situations.

The hilarious and deeply moving diary novel from bestselling author Alex Barclay - this might just be the funniest book ever to make you cry your eyes out. This is the diary of me, Ellery Brown, aged fifteen and a half. I'm supposed to use it to record my feelings about my mum, since she died. So why do I keep thinking about who my dad might be, instead . . . ? I have so much STUFF to think about - including a whole new life in Ireland. So why can I not stop thinking about my DAD? Especially because it is so weird to think about someone you don't know. Like, literally, I have NO IDEA who my dad is. My best friend Meg has narrowed it down to three authors my mum knew. (She was an author too.) But they're not just in different countries; they're on different CONTINENTS. Which means fake IDs, passports, plane tickets, and somehow getting away from my self-obsessed grandmother . . . One thing's for sure: this year is going to be INTERESTING.

Using the same simple but effective bonding concept from The Invisible String, which has been used for healing countless readers living with grief, The Invisible Leash illustrates the spiritual connection pet owners have with their animals. After Zach's dog, Jojo, dies, his friend Emily tries to comfort him with the "best news ever": an invisible leash around our hearts connects everyone to their pets no matter where they are, on this Earth or somewhere beyond... Maybe they are even near right now. Zach is sceptical, saying he only believes in what he can see, but Emily lets him find his own way to eventually come to feel the comforting tug of the Invisible Leash. And once again, Zach can sleep peacefully. Accompanied by emotive and uplifting art by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, Patrice Karst's gentle story celebrates the love, warmth, and joy that animals give us in this life and beyond, and is sure to become the new go-to book for children about pet loss.

This new title in Barron's "A First Look At" series encourages kids of preschool through early school age to understand and overcome problems that might trouble them in social and family relationships. Written by an experienced psychotherapist and counselor on a level that is always understandable to younger children, this book seeks to promote positive interactions among children, parents, and teachers. Thoughtful text is supplemented with child-friendly color illustrations on every page. A two-page "How to Use This Book" section for parents and teachers appears at the back of each book. In " I Miss My Pet, " younger children who lose a beloved puppy, kitten, or other pet are introduced to the idea of death. They are encouraged to understand that sadness is a first important step in the process of emotional healing, after the death of a loved one.

Eighteen-year-old Amelia Griffin is obsessed with the famous Orman Chronicles, written by the young and reclusive prodigy N. E. Endsley. They're the books that brought her and her best friend Jenna together after Amelia's father left and her family imploded. So when Amelia and Jenna get the opportunity to attend a book festival with Endsley in attendance, Amelia is ecstatic. It's the perfect way to start off their last summer before college. In a heartbeat, everything goes horribly wrong. When Jenna gets a chance to meet the author and Amelia doesn't, the two have a blowout fight like they've never had before. And before Amelia has a chance to mend things, Jenna dies in a freak car accident. Grief-stricken, and without her best friend to guide her, Amelia questions everything she had planned for the future. When a mysterious, rare edition of the Orman Chronicles arrives, Amelia is convinced that it somehow came from Jenna. Tracking the book to an obscure but enchanting bookstore in Michigan, Amelia is shocked to find herself face-to-face with the enigmatic and handsome N. E. Endsley himself, the reason for Amelia's and Jenna's fight and perhaps the clue to what Jenna wanted to tell her all along.

When Mia learns that her mother has died, all the colour in her world changes to a dreary grey. She feels guilty, angry, sad and lost (sometimes all at once!), and she doesn't know what to do to feel better. Little by little, with the help of her Dad, Mia learns how to cope with her difficult feelings. Together, they remember her mother by creating memory boxes, and they even get rid of anger by crazily sloshing paints and punching holes in newspapers! In the end, Mia finds her own, very special way of coping. When she feels sad or lonely, she looks up to the stars. Full of practical strategies, this storybook for children aged 5-9 addresses loss, grief and hope. Written from the perspective of Mia who has experienced the sudden death of her mother, it covers the different stages of grief, from initial disbelief, anger and sadness to resolution and hope. The book highlights the importance of giving children the time and space to work through their feelings and provides a host of thoughtful activities to help them cope. It also addresses some of the questions children commonly ask about death. Uniquely illustrated, this book will be an invaluable resource for anyone supporting a grieving child, especially bereavement counsellors, social workers, teachers and other school staff, as well as parents.

Set in the snowy northern forests of an imagined prehistoric world, Fireborn is a breathtaking debut: at turns exciting, funny and heart-wrenchingly sad. It marks the introduction of an unstoppable new voice in children's storytelling. Twelve has spoken the Pledge and now she is a Huntling. She has given up her name to train in the art of fighting monsters and keeping the peace, and she won't get to choose a new one until she has earned it. But when the Lodge's walls are breached for the first time, and a little girl is taken, Twelve is the only one interested in going after a child. . . and ends up on a quest that will change her life, her name - and her entire world.

How can children begin to understand death and cope with bereavement? And how can we, as adults, support and engage with children as they encounter this complex subject? Exploring how children and adolescents can engage with all aspects of death, dying and bereavement, this comprehensive guide looks at how children comprehend the death of a pet or someone close to them, their own dying, bereavement and grieving. It covers how you should discuss death with children, with a particular emphasis on the importance of listening to the child and adapting your approach based on their responses. The book offers guidance on how your own experiences of loss can provide you with models for your interactions with children on the subject of death.