Tag Archives: grief

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo

Conditional Recommendation: An emotional tale of a self-centered china rabbit who learns to love despite experiencing a harsh world.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 200
Published: 2006
Genre: Fantasy

Awards: Zilveren Griffel (2007), Grand Canyon Reader Award for Intermediate Book (2008), Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 (2007), Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader’s Choice Award for Junior (2009), Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award (2009), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and Poetry (2006), The Magnolia Award (2010), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee (2008), Hea Lasteraamat (2019)

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The Tiger Rising

by Kate DiCamillo

Conditional Recommendation: With the help of a feisty friend and a caged tiger, a 12-year-old boy learns how to process his bottled-up grief.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 128
Published: 2001
Genre: Contemporary

Awards: Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Nominee (2004), National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature (2001)

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The Meeting Place (Song of Acadia #1)

by Janette Oke & T. Davis Bunn

Unconditional Recommendation: In Acadia, a chance meeting creates a strong bond of friendship and faith between an Englishwoman and a Frenchwoman during a time of hostilities and impending war between their homelands.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Song of Acadia, Book 1
Pages: 288
Published: 1999
Genre: Historical Christian Fiction

Awards: Christy Award for North American Historical (2000)

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Where the Red Fern Grows

by Wilson Rawls

Conditional Recommendation: An engaging tale of friendship and adventure shared by a boy and his two hound dogs.

Age: Middle Grade
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 249
Published: 1961
Genre: Adventure, Animal, Autobiographical Fiction

Awards: Massachusetts Children’s Book Award (1987), North Dakota Children’s Choice Award (1981).

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Esperanza Rising

by Pam Muñoz Ryan

Unconditional Recommendation: When 13-year-old Esperanza moves from a ranch in Mexico to a farm labor camp in California, she learns to rise above her circumstances.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 304
Published: 2002
Genre: Historical

Awards: Jane Addams Children’s Book Award for Older Children (2001), California Young Readers Medal for Middle School/Junior High (2003), Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children’s Literature (2001), Pura Belpré Award for Narrative (2002)

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Irena’s Bond of Matrimony (A Newly Weds #4)

by Margo Hansen

Unconditional Recommendation: A letter ordering Irena to travel to America to become a bride brings love into Irena’s life—the love of the Savior, the love of a man, and the love of friends.

Age: Young Adult
Series: A Newly Weds series, Book Four
Pages: 366
Published: 2012

Genre: Historical Christian Romance

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Sophie’s Heart

by Lori Wick

Unconditional Recommendation: Follow a tenderhearted woman through the everyday life of caring for a grieving family with persistent faith and love that can encourage the heart of the reader.

Age: Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Pages: 426
Published: 1995

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

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