Several recent middle grade novels take an honest and sometimes heartbreaking look at children dealing with death and its aftermath. In My Brother’s Shadow by Tom Avery, a young girl must reconcile her feelings (and the mysterious appearance of a wild boy) after the suicide of her older brother. In Esther Erlich’s Nest, 11-year-old Chirp struggles to understand her mother’s depression and eventual suicide. Both novels offer unflinching glimpses into raw grief, while ultimately offering readers hope that life goes on, even after terrible loss.

Avery, Tom. My Brother’s Shadow. 176p. Random. Sept. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385384872; lib. ed. $19.99. ISBN 9780385384889; ebk. ISBN 9780385384896. LC 2013030321.

Gr 6-9 –Kaia is frozen. She has been this way since she found her older brother Moses dead in his bedroom. Her former friends think she’s a “freak,” her teachers think she’s not applying herself, and her mother is frozen herself, stuck in a vicious cycle of despair. Then one day, a wild, silent boy appears at Kaia’s school, and she finds someone to whom she can finally relate and open up. This poignant tale of loss and the attempts at closure is poetically recorded, each chapter revealing a bit of the strife that Kaia battles as she struggles to exist in school, to hold on to herself, and to find her way back to the girl she was before her horrendous tragedy. The novel is peppered with Kaia’s “Rules for Life,” little mantras that slowly evolve and help her to heal as she grows and learns to cope. As the layers of ice she has encased herself in begin to crack, the remarkable girl slowly begins to blossom and she is able to find hope. Avery creates an impressive account of tragedy, and his gentle, melancholic prose establishes the perfect tone for his tale of despair and renewal. Fans of realistic fiction, especially dealing with emotionally jarring, disturbing events, will surely devour Avery’s latest.–Ellen Norton, White Oak Library District, Crest Hill, IL

Ehrlich, Esther. Nest. 336p. Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. Sept. 2014. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780385386074; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9780385386098.

Gr 4-6 –It’s the dog days of the summer, 1972, and spirited 11-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein tries to enjoy them as best she can—but something is wrong with her mother’s leg. Chirp’s mother Hannah is a dancer and the prospect of permanent limited mobility is both heartbreaking and terrifying. A diagnosis of MS sends Hannah spiraling into a debilitating depression, and she is sent to a mental hospital. Chirp’s father, a psychiatrist, is consumed with grief and tethered to work, leaving Chirp and her older sister Rachel alone much of the time. After several months of therapy, Hannah returns home. The reunion is short-lived as she slips deeper into depression and tragically decides to end her life, leaving Chirp, Rachel, and their father to navigate their transformed familial relationship. A stunning debut, with lyrical prose and superbly developed characters, this novel is an emotional roller coaster that effectively conveys a family’s visceral tragedy. At times tear inducing, the narrative is also vibrantly alive, assisted in part by the Cape Cod setting and refreshingly unplugged 1970s. The focus on nature and the outdoors helps set the pace as the seasonal changes quietly indicate the passage of time. Sensitive readers should be aware of the tough issues that it addresses—suicide, depression, and personal loss. However, the story also offers a hopeful message. Strong readers who enjoy realistic fiction and the occasional good cry will savor Nest and reflect on it long after its conclusion.–Juliet Morefield, Multnomah County Library, OR