In my Children's Literature course I took this past semester, we were assigned to read a young adult book. I was given Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. I borrowed it from my local library, because I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, and I also didn't want to spend more money on college - textbooks and tuition are expensive enough. This was a quick read, and yet it was filled with deeper meanings than I could have imagined. It's definitely a book I would recommend to anyone, whether they're an adolescent or not; I'd also recommend this book to children in the hospital who are grieving and dealing with loss, as long as they are ready to handle something so concrete.
Synopsis from Barnes & Noble:
"I had everything I needed to run a household: a house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy–the two of us, and no one else."
A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them.
With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone, and gradually, she finds the words to express feelings that once seemed impossible to describe. The healing powers of friendship, love, and memory help Aubrey take her first steps toward the future.
My Review:
As you're reading the first chapter, you begin to ask questions - what happened to this little girl? What about her family? Why is she 11 years old and going food shopping by herself? Then you start putting the pieces together. There was an accident. Death has occurred, as well as abandonment. She is learning, quickly, how she must be independent and she cannot rely on anyone else. After a while, her grandmother comes to her rescue, and takes her from her lonely home in Virginia to Vermont. It's quite a change for this young girl, but it gets better when she meets the neighbor, a young girl who is quite alike. Although she has setbacks, through the many tears that are shed, she begins to see that good things can happen even after the most devastating events. In the end she must choose between a life she once had, and the new life she has only just begun. I think this book would be great for a child in the hospital, because it helps describe times in the hospital, death/loss, abandonment, grief, family, and support. Of course it must be developmentally appropriate.
I thought it was interesting to read about Aubrey in the hospital, without a Child Life Specialist, and seeing that she was scared, didn't know what an IV was or where she was, and not knowing what had happened to her. She was given medication to sleep, and wasn't allowed to express any emotion. The letters that she eventually wrote, due to the advice of her counselor at school, helped get her feelings down on paper like a journal would.
It's a definitely a book I'd recommend, as I previously said, not only because of the amazing story line, but also because the literary elements flow so well together [flashbacks, memories, letters, sensory language]. If you're looking for a quick, easy read, but one that might make you cry and connect to the characters - this is definitely a must read.
My Rating: 5 Stars
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