Missing May (1993 Newbery Winner)

Missing May is a novel that will tug on your heartstrings and make you realize how the loss of a loved one is seen through the eyes of a child. Summer is a young girl who spent her childhood being passed through the hands of one relative to another relative, living like an orphan since her mother died when she was 6 years old. One day, Aunt May and Uncle Ob went on a trip to visit their relatives, and that is when they first met Summer. Aunt May and Uncle Ob had raised their own children and were settling into old age when they realized they still had plenty more love to give, which is exactly why they took Summer home with them that day. Summer was finally “home” when she went to live with Aunt May and Uncle Ob, and was continuously astonished at how much they loved one another. The story begins when an old Aunt May passes away while gardening, and Uncle Ob and Summer are forced to go on with their own lives. Summer has a hard time grieving for Aunt May and Uncle Ob becomes lost in life and has lost hope for being able to go on. Cletus, a boy around Summer’s age, become as essential part in helping Uncle Ob and Summer grieve for Aunt May. Cletus convinces Summer and Uncle Ob that he has had a supernatural experience and he believes they could reach Aunt May in the afterlife. This book was amazingly emotional and explained loss in a way that children can understand. I really liked how eclectic the characters were, especially Cletus. This book may be difficult for some children to get interested in, but I do think if they opened their minds, they would find a lot to like in this book.