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.

Read the book before you see the musical, coming to the West End Autumn 2019!

'Even in book form, Evan Hansen's story sings. Required reading, especially for anyone who's ever needed to be found' - Becky Albertalli, author of Love Simon

Dear Evan Hansen,

Today's going to be an amazing day and here's why...

When a letter that was never meant to be seen draws high school senior Evan Hansen into the Murphy family's grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong.

He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell.

That the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.

Suddenly, Evan isn't invisible anymore. And Connor's wealthy parents have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his 'closest friend'.

As Evan gets pulled deeper into their family, he knows that what he's doing may not be right, but if he's helping people, how wrong can it be?

No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose.

He's confident. He's a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. But when everything is in danger of unravelling, he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.

A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.

The monster showed up just after midnight. But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his back garden, though, this monster, is something different. Something ancient, something wild.

Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal. A heartbreaking story, narrated by twelve-year-old Jack, whose family is caring for fourteen-year-old Joseph. Joseph is misunderstood. He was incarcerated for trying to kill a teacher. Or so the rumours say. But Jack and his family see something others in town don't want to. What's more, Joseph has a daughter he's never seen. The two boys go on a journey through the bitter Maine winter to help Joseph find his baby - no matter the cost.

An essential guide to help children become more aware of their emotional needs. This book examines a range of everyday topics that might give children's minds difficulties, for example: when parents don't seem to understand us; when we fall out with friends; when school feels boring or difficult; when we're too busy and get overwhelmed; when our phones create trouble; when we feel sad, bored, anxious or fed up with things. As an atlas to a child's mind, we explore a range of common scenarios encountered by young children and talk about some of the very best ideas to help deal with them. By offering a sympathetic and supportive framework, we encourage children to open up, explore their own feelings and face the dilemmas of growing up armed with emotional intelligence.

In this unforgettable novel, Quinn Sullivan falls for the recipient of her boyfriend's donated heart. Printz Award winner John Corey Whaley calls it "not just a love story, but one with a ferocious pulse." After Quinn's boyfriend, Trent, dies in an accident their junior year, she reaches out to the recipients of his donated organs in hopes of picking up the fragments of her now-unrecognizable life. But whoever received Trent's heart has chosen to remain silent. The essence of a person, Quinn has always believed, is in the heart. If she finds Trent's, then in a way, she will still have a piece of him. Risking everything to get closure once and for all, Quinn goes outside the system to track down nineteen-year-old Colton Thomas, whose life has been forever changed by this priceless gift. But what starts as an accidental run-in quickly develops into something more, sparking an undeniable attraction. She doesn't want to give in to it-especially since he has no idea how they're connected-but the time Quinn spends with Colton makes her feel alive again. No matter how hard she's falling for Colton, though, each beat of his heart reminds her of all she's lost ...and all that remains at stake. Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, this unique and emotional story about an unexpected bond between two strangers will leave no heart untouched.

This debut novel is a poignant exploration of grief, change, and hope, perfect for fans of Lisa Graff and Lindsey Stoddard. After Kitty's mother dies on an inappropriately sunny Tuesday, all Kitty wants is for her life to go back to "normal"-whatever that will mean without her mum. Instead, her dad announces that he, Kitty, and her sister are moving from their home in London to New York City, and Kitty will need to say goodbye to the places and people that help keep her mother's memory alive. New York is every bit as big and bustling as Kitty's heard, and as she adjusts to life there and befriends a blue-haired boy, she starts to wonder if her memories of her mum don't need to stay in one place-if there's a way for them to be with Kitty every day, everywhere.

#1 New York Times bestseller Maria Dahvana Headley's soaring sky fantasy Magonia is now in paperback! Since she was a baby, Aza Ray Boyle has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak-to live. So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name. Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who's always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world-and found by another. Magonia. Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power-but as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war between Magonia and Earth is coming. In Aza's hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity-including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson in March 2019!

In this moving story that's perfect for fans of John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, two teens fall in love with just one minor complication--they can't get within a few feet of each other without risking their lives.

Can you love someone you can never touch?

Stella Grant likes to be in control--even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn't care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he'll turn eighteen and then he'll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will's exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn't feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

An excellent resource for children when they try to grasp the concept of death and understand grieving, recommended for children who have faced or are facing loss, but also for any child even before an urgent need presents itself. Presented in a respectful and unthreatening manner, this book will prove immensely valuable for children and their familes.

Cass has a theory: everyone eventually leaves. Her father walked out, her mother is starting a new family, and she almost lost her best friend to cancer. When Cass transfers to a preppy new private school, her plan is to stay anonymous by hiding her skater girl veneer beneath plaid skirts and knee socks. But when her cute locker neighbour, Cooper, takes an interest in Cass, keeping a safe distance isn't easy. And once Cass lets her guard down, the unthinkable happens: Cooper is mysteriously murdered. As the investigation unfolds, Cass's close friend, Gav, is suspected as the killer. Determined to find answers, she must go through her list one by one until somebody cracks. However, will uncovering the truth really give Cass what she is looking for?

This timely, emotionally-resonant story about a teen girl dealing with the aftermath of a tragic shooting is a must-read from an exciting new YA talent. Johanna has had more than enough trauma in her life. She lost her mom in a car accident, and her father went AWOL when Johanna was just a baby. At sixteen, life is steady, boring . . . maybe even stifling, since she's being raised by her grandparents who never talk about their daughter, her mother Mandy. Then he comes back: Robert Newsome, Johanna's father, bringing memories and pictures of Mandy. But that's not all he shares. A tragic car accident didn't kill Mandy--it was Johanna, who at two years old, accidentally shot her own mother with an unsecured gun. Now Johanna has to sort through it all--the return of her absentee father, her grandparents' lies, her part in her mother's death. But no one, neither her loyal best friends nor her sweet new boyfriend, can help her forgive them. Most of all, can she ever find a way to forgive herself? In a searing, ultimately uplifting story, debut author Alex Richards tackles a different side of the important issue that has galvanized teens across our country.

Previously published under the title Ketchup Clouds
Dear Mr. S. Harris,
Ignore the blob of red in the top left corner. It's jam, not blood, though I don't think I need to tell you the difference. It wasn't your wife's jam the police found on your shoe.
I know what it's like.
Mine wasn't a woman. Mine was a boy. And I killed him three months ago exactly.
Zoe has an unconventional pen pal--Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But then again, Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.
Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives a voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe's letters, but at least somebody will know her story--somebody who knows what it's like to kill a person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.
Rising literary star Annabel Pitcher pens a captivating second novel, rich with her distinctive balance between humor and heart. Annabel explores the themes of first love, guilt, and grief, introducing a character with a witty voice and true emotional resonance.

A story of survival, of love between mother and son and of enduring hope in the face of unspeakable hardship. An important read. The Boy Who Didn't Want to Die describes an extraordinary journey, made by Peter, a boy of five, through war-torn Europe in 1944 and 1945. Peter and his parents set out from a small Hungarian town, travelling through Austria and then Germany together. Along the way, unforgettable images of adventure flash one after another: sleeping in a tent and then under the sky, discovering a disused brick factory, catching butterflies in the meadows - and as Peter realises that this adventure is really a nightmare - watching bombs falling from the blue sky outside Vienna, learning maths from his mother in Belsen. All this is drawn against a background of terror, starvation, infection and, inevitably, death, before Peter and his mother can return home. Professor Peter Lantos is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and in his previous life was an internationally renowned clinical neuroscientist. His memoir, Parallel Lines (Arcadia Books, 2006) was translated into Hungarian, German and Italian. Closed Horizon (Arcadia, 2012) was his first novel. Peter was awarded the British Empire Medal in 2020 for 'services to Holocaust education and awareness'. He is one of the last of the generation of survivors and this - his first book for children - will serve as a testimony to his experience. Peter lives in London.

Sadie meets Girl in Pieces in this dark, emotional thriller by acclaimed author Saundra Mitchell. Something happened to Ava. The curving scar on her face is proof. Ava would rather keep that something hidden-buried deep in her heart and her soul. But in the woods on the outskirts of town, the traces of someone else's secrets lie frozen, awaiting Ava's discovery-and what Ava finds threatens to topple the carefully constructed wall of normalcy that she's spent years building around her. Secrets leave scars. But when the secret in question is not your own-do you ignore the truth and walk away? Or do you uncover it from its shallow grave and let it reopen old wounds-wounds that have finally begun to heal?

This Is Not 'The End' helps those in a miserable part of a really crappy chapter in their life to see that their life is not ruined, and better days are ahead. Nina Sossamon-Pogue, former world-class gymnast and award-winning television personality turned successful corporate executive, pulls from decades of high, lows, and public pain to write This Is Not 'The End'. It became the resource Nina needed when she thought her life was over and sometimes wished it was. In This Is Not 'The End', Nina shares candid stories of her own journey toward healing after a series of traumatic events. She uses the wisdom gained from her experience, combined with proven and practical tips, to show those going through a difficult time how to: Figure out where to put this event in their head Create the script that will protect them in public Assess which people and places are helping or hurting them Learn how to look at a traumatic event as a fraction of their life story Understand that even the most public pain (television trucks on the front lawn) comes and goes Practice the mental gymnastics needed to get them to the next chapter (yes, there is a next chapter!)

In a magical underwater forest lived a colourful and loveable Octopus called Ollie, who loved swimming with his friends and spending time with his mum and dad, Orla and Orson the Octopuses. Until one day, Orla started to get very sick. The doctors did everything they could to help her, but very sadly, Orla died. Ollie had so many thoughts and feelings spinning around in his head, and his heart was hurting. This activity book has been developed by expert child Psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Karen Treisman. The first part of the book is a colourful illustrated therapeutic story about Ollie the Octopus, with a focus on Ollie making sense of and processing the loss of his mum, Orla. This is followed by a wealth of creative activities and colourful photocopiable worksheets for children and the people supporting them to explore aspects of loss, grief, death, and bereavement, and how to find ways to understand and cope with them. The final section of the book is full of advice and practical strategies for parents, carers, and professionals on how to help children aged 5-10 to begin to understand the complex and multi-layered feelings surrounding loss and bereavement, and what they can do to help navigate them through their grief journey. This activity book is complemented by a standalone picture book of Ollie's story, also available from Jessica Kingsley Publishers (Ollie the Octopus, ISBN 9781839970238).

In this emotionally candid contemporary YA, author Jen Malone delves into the world of a teen whose life is brought to an abrupt halt when she learns she's in dire need of an organ transplant. Hard-charging and irrepressible, eighteen-year-old Amelia Linehan could see a roller derby opponent a mile away-and that's while crouched down, bent over skates, and zooming around a track at the speed of light. What she couldn't see coming, however, was the flare-up of the rare liver disorder she was born with. But now it's the only thing she-and everyone around her-can think about. With no guarantee of a viable organ transplant, everything Amelia's been sure of-like college plans or the possibility of one day falling in love-has become a huge question mark, threatening to drag her down into a sea of what-ifs she's desperate to avoid. Then a friend from the past shows up. With Will, it's easy to forget about what's lurking between the lightness of their time together. She feels alive when all signs point elsewhere. But with the odds decidedly not in her favor, Amelia knows this feeling can't last forever. After all, what can?

Ever since his father died, Dennis has been seeing ghosts. Lots of ghosts. They blow in on the breeze, visit for a while, and fly off again. But one night the ghost of his Uncle Arvie floats in the window. And Arvie wants to do more than chat. Together, they find a lost love letter, finish a special painting, and dig up buried treasure—all for Arvie’s widow, Julia. Dennis loves having his uncle around again, but there’s still one ghost he’s longing to see. Perhaps on the next ghost wind . . . Master storyteller Sharon Creech has woven a wonderfully funny, romantic tale. Arvie’s eccentric antics and wonderful word play keep the reader laughing, but at its tender heart, the story reveals the holes left in our lives when we lose the ones we love.

What does you in--brain or heart?

Frannie asks herself this question when, a week before she turns fifteen, her dad dies, leaving her suddenly deprived of the only human being on planet Earth she feels understands her. Frannie struggles to make sense of a world that no longer seems safe. She discovers an elegant wooden box with an inscription: Frances Anne 1000. Inside, Frannie finds one thousand hand-carved and -painted puzzle pieces. She wonders if her father had a premonition of his death and finished her birthday present early. Feeling broken into pieces herself, Frannie slowly puts the puzzle together. But as she works, something remarkable begins to happen: She is catapulted into a foreign landscape suspended in time where she can discover her father as he was B.F.--before Frannie.