1) A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, fits the theme of “loss” because it takes us on a journey of how a boy is coping with the fact that his mother is dying from cancer, and the unique way the boy deals with the approaching death-by seeking out a monster.
2) Always With You by Ruth Vander Zee (picture book), fits the theme of “loss” because we see a young girl lose her mother and village to an explosion in Vietnam, and how she deals with the loss and carries on after her mother’s death and she is taken to an orphanage by remembering her mother’s promise that she “will always be with you.”
3) The Big Wave by Pearl S. Buck (young adult novel), fits the theme of “loss” because we see Jiya, a young fisherman boy lose his entire family to a tsunami in Japan. Jiya is taken in by his best friend’s family and adopted by them, and he finds happiness again through his best friend and his family’s kindness.
4) Goodbye Mousie by Robie Harris (picture book), fits the theme of “loss” because we see a young child face the loss of a pet, which is a mouse in this case, and how the child’s parents help their child overcome the stages of grief and loss.
5) A Terrible Thing Happened by Margaret M. Holmes (picture book), fits the theme of “loss” because it takes us on a journey to show how “seeing something terrible” can affect a child, like witnessing a death. Sherman has bad dreams and always felt nervous, but then begins to be relieved and feels better when he is able to talk about the event he witnessed.
6) The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (young adult novel), fits the theme of “loss” because we see a group of friends, who have endured it all together, lose two of their pack, Dally and Johnny. This novel deals with the loss of friends and enemies, and how death all-around effects everyone, regardless if you’re a “soc” or “greaser.”