by Suzanne LaFleur
ages: 10+
First sentence: “It was fun at first, playing house.”
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I’ve read about a lot of grief, trials, abandonment, and loss in the books this year for the Cybils. But few have touched me like Love, Aubrey did. Eleven-year-old Aubrey has suffered quite a bit in the past few months: her father and younger sister Savannah died in a car crash that left Aubrey and her mother alive, but scarred. And when, on a hot August day, her mother takes off and just doesn’t come back, Aubrey feels like it’s probably for the best. After all, if everyone’s going to leave, who needs them? Only, when her Grams comes — out of concern, since Aubrey’s not answering the phone — and discovers the situation, she whisks Aubrey back to Vermont, to real life, to friendship, to love, and eventually to the path of healing.

On the back of my copy there’s a quote by Sarah Weeks, author of So B. It, that says, “LaFleur has a rare gift — an authentic middle grade voice.” I have to completely agree. The dialogue doesn’t seem affected. The narrative — which is punctuated by heartfelt letters from Aubrey to various people — flows seamlessly. Aubrey grabs your attention in a way that’s unique and heart rendering. The pain she feels — at the loss of her beloved father and sister, and at the abandonment of her mother — is palpable. It’s a beautiful book.

But, it’s not a sad one. Yes, it deals with death and abandonment, but most of all it’s about love and healing and hope. Which is difficult for an author to get across without being preachy. LaFleur does so admirably: the adult characters — aside from the mother, which becomes forgivable, or at least understandable, by the end of the book — are present, anchors in Aubrey’s world, and yet it’s Aubrey who is propelling the action of the story, pulling the readers into her world.

In short: a perfect gem.

(Just for the record: because this is a Cybils nominee, I’ve been asked to make sure y’all know this is my opinion only, and not that of the panel.)