Grover

Ten-year-old Grover lives in a small Southern town, where he spends his days fishing and exploring, often in the company of his friend Ellen Grae. When his mother becomes seriously ill, the adults around him, including his Aunt Mary and Uncle Ab, try to keep the truth from him, but Grover understands more than they think. His mother takes her own life rather than face becoming an invalid, and his grieving father withdraws and begins to come apart. Left largely on his own, Grover wrestles with anger, loneliness and a feeling of abandonment as he tries to make sense of what has happened and to hold on to the people who remain. Vera and Bill Cleaver's spare, honest novel treats grief and loss with unusual directness for its time, and suits thoughtful middle-grade readers who are ready for a serious story.