Missing May
Written By: Cynthia Rylant
Recommended for ages 10-13
Scholastic $8.99

Don’t let the size of this book fool you. It may be small but the message is mighty. After young Summer’s mother dies, she is passed from family to family because no one wants to keep her for any length of time. That is until, Uncle Ob and Aunt May bring her home to their trailer and show her what real love is all about. Then 6 years after moving to West Virginia, Summer experiences death all over again when Aunt May dies in her flower garden. No, this book is not all about death however Uncle Ob has a difficult time with the fate of his beloved wife and feels he is no longer capable of caring for Summer.

For whatever reason, Cletus (a schoolmate but not a friend of Summer’s) enters the picture. With his uncanny ability to relate to Uncle Ob and to communicate with the deceased, he begins to spend an inordinate amount of time at Summer’s home. What starts out as an uncomfortable situation eventually turns into a friendship that could never have been imagined. The three friends teach each other what it means to love, to lose and to go on living..

Cynthia Rylant received the Newbery Medal for this book. She has written over 50 books for children, one of my favourites being a quirky picture book called The Relatives Came.