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 It
was hard for Meg not to be envious of Molly. Blond, pretty and
popular, Molly was the one who always knew what to say, who was
giggly and fun, full of smiles and silly enthusiasms. It was Molly
who had long eyelashes, while thirteen-year-old Meg had glasses.
Molly who developed a figure and boyfriends the same year that Meg
got Molly's outgrown winter coat. Molly who was sure about the future,
had sorted out her own goals, while Meg, determined and unsure at
the same time, was sometimes angry over nothing, often miserable
about everything.
Things grew even worse when they had to share a room. That's when
Molly drew the chalk line. Right down the rug and up the wall, across
the wallpaper with its blue flowers. Separating them.
Then Molly got sick. At first it was just a nuisance. Grouchy, constantly
worrying about her looks, never without a box of kleenex because
of those dumb nosebleeds. Everyone waited on her hand and foot when
she was home and was totally preoccupied with test results when
she was in the hospital. Meg didn't know what to make of the changes
taking place in Molly and their parents. Until the day she realized
that Molly was never going to come home from the hospital. That
Molly was going to die.
Lois Lowry has written a poignant and perceptive first novel exploring
the complex emotions a young girl faces in dealing with the death
of a sister just at the very time when she had begun to ease her
sense of jealousy and impatience into love.
"Not
simply another story on a subject currently in vogue, this book
is memorable as a well-crafted reaffirmation of universal values."
-- Horn Book ALA Notable Book, Horn Book Fanfare Selection, IRA/CBC
Children's Choice
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Other
Stand-Alone books
THE
SILENT BOY A sensitive and
moving story of a wide-eyed young girl growing up at the beginning
of the twentieth century and the influence of the farm community
around her.
A
SUMMER TO DIE Thirteen-year-old Meg envies her sister
Molly's beauty and popularity, and these feelings make it difficult
for her to cope with Molly's illness and death.
FIND A STRANGER, SAY GOODBYE Natalie
Armstrong, an attractive, happy teenager about to enter college,
sets out to discover the parents who gave her up at infancy.
AUTUMN STREET When her father
leaves to fight in World War II, Elizabeth goes with her mother
and sister to her grandfather's house, where she learns to face
up to the always puzzling and often cruel realities of the adult
world.
TAKING CARE OF TERRIFIC In
Boston's famous Public Garden, fourteen-year-old Enid and her four-year-old
pal, Tom Terrific, learn lots about life from new friendships with
a bag lady and a saxophone player.
RABBLE STARKEY Twelve-year-old
Rabble Starkey's mother is hired by Mrs. Bigelow to look after her
children while she's in the hospital. Living in that huge house,
Rabble feels she's finally found a home. But soon she and her mother
must question what's really best for them.
STAY! KEEPER'S STORY This
is the story of a dog who tells his own tale. As a pup he is separated
from his mother and siblings. Through it all, Keeper can't forget
his long lost little sister. If only they could be together again,
life would be perfect. But an old enemy is watching and waiting
to make his move.
NUMBER THE STARS Ten-year-old
Annemarie Johansen and her best friend Ellen Rosen often think about
life before the war. But it's now 1943 and their life in Copenhagen
is filled with school, food shortages, and the Nazi soldiers marching
in their town.
LOOKING BACK
It is a rare album memoir for both children and adults;
it's straightforward text is accompanied by beautiful and sometimes
heartbreaking black-and-white photographs.
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