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INTERMEDIATE & JUNIOR HIGH (Fiction & Nonfiction)

Friends of the Heart
Banks, Kate
While at her grandparents’ Italian home, Lucrezia must deal with a changing friendship and personal tragedy.
Ages 10-14
FSG, 2005

Sky Memories
Brisson, Pat
Emily is 10 when her mom is diagnosed with cancer and 11 when she dies.
Ages 9-13
Delacorte Press, 1999

Pieces of Georgia
Bryant, Jen
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
Knopf, 2006

Fig Pudding
Fletcher, Ralph
Shows how a family grieves a first Christmas after a son dies, depicting pain, conflicts, changes, surprises, and bonding.
Ages 8-13
Clarion, 1995
DT, ES, HD, IT, SH, SD

Playing Dad’s Song
Friedman, D. Dina
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
FGS, 2006

Beat the Turtle Drum
Greene, C C
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
Viking, 1976
DT, HD, SD

Cousins
Hamilton, Virginia
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
Philomel, 1990
DT, ES, IT, SH, SD

Words of Stone
Henkes, Kevin
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
Greenwillow, 1992
DT, ES, HD, IT, SH, SD

The Tower Room
Howard, Ellen
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
Maxwell Macmillan, 1993
DT, SH, SD

Mick Harte Was Here
Park, Barbara
Story of the grieving process of a friend after Mick was not wearing his bike helmet.
Ages 10-14
Yearling Press, 1996

Missing May
Rylant, Cynthia
Sensitively shows the grieving and initial healing of an orphan girl and her uncle after aunt’s death.
Ages 8-13
Orchard Bks, 1992
ES, DT, HD, IT, SH, SD

A Taste of Blackberries
Smith, Doris Buchanan
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
Big A & C (Harper Collins), 1992

Nothing Grows Here
Thesman, Jean
Family rebuilds after the father’s unexpected death—through eyes of 12-year-old.
Ages 10-14
Harper Collns, 1994
DT, HD, SH, SD

To Hell With Dying
Walker, Alice
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
Harcourt Brace, 1967

Forgive the River, Forgive the Sky
Whelan, Gloria
12-year old Lilly struggles with her feelings following her dad dying in the river.
Ages 9-13
Erdmans Books, 2003

Back to Grieving Books Page
Fiction Books for Children to Read Alone or with Adults
Nonfiction Books for Children & Families
Loss of a Grandparent
Book for Teens
Suicide, Homicide, 9-11, & Other Trauma
Grieving Loss - Miscarriage or Perinatal
Death of a Partner
General
Professional
Workbooks Dealing with Death
Other Media