Love, Aubrey [Hardcover]

Suzanne LaFleur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 9, 2009 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

"I had everything I needed to run a household: a house, food, and a new family. From now on it would just be me and Sammy–the two of us, and no one else."

A tragic accident has turned eleven-year-old Aubrey’s world upside down. Starting a new life all alone, Aubrey has everything she thinks she needs: SpaghettiOs and Sammy, her new pet fish. She cannot talk about what happened to her. Writing letters is the only thing that feels right to Aubrey, even if no one ever reads them.
With the aid of her loving grandmother and new friends, Aubrey learns that she is not alone, and gradually, she finds the words to express feelings that once seemed impossible to describe. The healing powers of friendship, love, and memory help Aubrey take her first steps toward the future.
Readers will care for Aubrey from page one and will watch her grow until the very end, when she has to make one of the biggest decisions of her life.
Love, Aubrey is devastating, brave, honest, funny, and hopeful, and it introduces a remarkable new writer, Suzanne LaFleur. No matter how old you are, this book is not to be missed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–6—How does a child recover from unspeakable loss? For Aubrey, 11, it takes time, love, stability, and the emotional release that comes from writing letters. After her father and younger sister die in a car accident, Aubrey's mother becomes psychologically unstable and abandons her. Uprooted from her home in Virginia, Aubrey goes to live with her grandmother in Vermont. Along with Gram's love, she finds solace in spending time with the family next door and acquires a best friend in the process. When her mother materializes and begins her emotional recovery, Aubrey must decide whether to return home or to remain with her grandmother. Throughout the grieving process, her emotions are palpable. LaFleur captures the way everyday occurrences can trigger a sudden flood of memories and overwhelming feelings of renewed loss. She details the physical responses of the human body to emotional trauma with an immediacy that puts readers inside Aubrey's pain and loss. The child's progress is reflected in her letters, which are at first directed to her sister's imaginary friend, then to her dead father and sister, and finally to the mother who hurt her so deeply. While the grandmother's patience and insight at times stretch credulity, for those who want or need to experience grief vicariously, this is an excellent choice.—Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL END

Review

Starred Review, Booklist, August 1, 2009:
"LeFleur proves she is an author to watch in this debut novel."

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385737742
• ISBN-13: 978-0385737746
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1.3 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #436,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in the suburbs of Boston quite happily, reading, writing, playing outside, and swimming with my parents and three younger siblings. When I got a little older, I went to college (Washington and Lee, BA in English and European History), and a little older still, to grad school (The New School, MFA in Writing for Children).

Now I split my time between Natick, MA and New York City. I have written two children's books, Love, Aubrey and Eight Keys.

My interests include:
Crackers and cheese
Swimming 50 yards with one breath
Collecting dishes that don't match, and a few that do
Wearing a different-colored sock on each foot
Taking out too many books from the library
Writing letters
Planning travels to Europe
Reminiscing
and
Wondering how my desk got so cluttered.

You can learn more about these problems and other things at:
http://www.suzannelafleur.com/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Have tissues handy, July 3, 2009

By 

M. Knapp "Maggie Knapp" (Fort Worth, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Love, Aubrey (Hardcover)

Aubrey is only 11, but she is dealing with events far beyond her years. This book is almost impossible to put down (except to wipe one's eyes and get more tissues) as Aubrey deals with the aftermath of a car accident. Though Aubrey herself is not yet 12, I think this would be a tough read for sensitive pre-teens. Supportive family, neighbors, friends and a school counselor help Aubrey through a painful year. Youngsters in the mood for a tear-jerker, or readers who want to be both saddened and uplifted, go read this book!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My new FAVORITE book!!!, May 20, 2011

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Love, Aubrey (Paperback)

I got this book yesterday and finished it this morning. I cried like, eight times! This is definitely a book for all age groups! Most of my day was spent talking about it with all of my friends. I love how real Aubrey is and how close she is to Bridget. This is my summary of the book. Me: So I bought this book yesterday. It's called Love, Aubrey. So, her Dad and little sister, Savannah die in a car crash. Her mom was driving.Then her mom gets really depressed and abandons her.- Poor person I'm talking to: Wait... How old is she again?- Me; She is 11. So, she is alone for like a week. Then her Gram- PpItt: Her what????- Me: Her grandmother. Then they go to Gram's house in Vermont- Person interrupts and they are forced to read it! :) Read this book today!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting By With a Little Help From Your Friends, February 3, 2010

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love, Aubrey (Hardcover)

"I get by with a little help from my friends." -- Beatles, 1967

In fact, "I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" could indeed be the soundtrack of this excellent book. A bit of Beatle humor is thrown in when a minor character named Pennie Layne makes a cameo appearance early in the book.

Aubrey, 11 loses her father and younger sister Savannah, 7 in an automobile accident. She and her mother are the only survivors. Shortly after the accident, Aubrey's mother shows signs of mental illness. She neglects to cook, clean or acknowledge Aubrey's presence. Matters come to a head when she walks out of the house, drives away, leaving Aubrey to fend for herself.

And fend she does. Aubrey copes as best she can, not knowing when or if her mother will return. Luckily, her maternal grandmother takes the train down to Virginia from her native Vermont. She takes Aubrey and her pet fish Sammy back with her to provide her with a home and loving stability.

Naturally adjustment problems ensue. Aubrey copes with her losses by writing letters. A neighbor girl, Bridget, takes Aubrey under her wing as do her younger sister Mabel, 4 and brother Danny, 1. Bridget's loving family widens their circle to include Aubrey.

In time, Aubrey opens up to Bridget. Getting through school is made a lot easier with Bridget's help and that of an astute counselor.

This is one of the best books about grief, grieving, loss and death that I have ever come across. Aubrey, like the 1965 John Lennon classic "In My Life," comes to accept that "some are dead and some are living....in my life, I've loved them all." Fortunately she does thrive in her new home in Vermont. She remains loyal to the memories she has of Savannah, and little flashbacks with Savannah are included in the story.

Aubrey has some difficult decisions to make as the year progresses and emerges all the stronger. "I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" and "In My Life" underscore this very deep and moving story.

This is such an excellent book and it might make you cry. Still, you will be glad you read it.