Customer Reviews

Love, Aubrey

5 star:		(18)
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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!

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!!!

"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.

I originally bought this for my 5th grade daughters school book project. After she read it I decided to read it too since she went on and on about how great the book was, she was right! This book was perfect for her age and reading level. I couldn't put it down once I started reading. It's very emotional but has a great plot and characters. I admit I did cry, my daughter did too. The author did such a good job with the details in the book, made you feel like you were really there and part of the story. Reading it actually made my 5th grade daughter appreciate her little sister more and I have noticed a difference in how she treats her(for the better). It's kind of crazy that a book would help there relationship but it did! Hopefully it last. I'd have to go on to say this is probably one of the best books I've ever read. HIGHLY RECOMMEND-especially for young girls with little brothers or sisters.

Suzanne LeFleur's "Love, Aubrey" is excellent. Just excellent. As other reviewers have mentioned, Aubrey, just eleven, has recently lost her father and younger sister in a car accident, and her mother has walked out on her, leaving her to fend for herself alone. Unlike other books in which the reader might just see in their mind's eye what the characters are doing, I was right there with Aubrey, feeling her pain, her anguish, her confusion, her anger, and her happy times too. There are moments that will sear the soul.

Aubrey's grandmother saves her life, in more ways than one. She is an extremely loving, patient yet firm, wise woman, yet is not painted as a saint. You see her grief as well as her anger at what her daughter has done to Aubrey, and some blame of herself for not foreseeing the situation, even though it is mentioned that Aubrey's mother had not exhibited any signs of mental illness prior. I loved Bridget as well, also drawn as a real kid who got annoyed at her little sister and even at Aubrey and had a crush on a boy but was also fun and loving and a real friend. I wouldn't let her order the pizza though, but that's just me!

I did NOT like Aubrey's mother. I can understand depression after a major trauma but I don't understand being so "depressed" that someone would just forget they had left their child at home all alone. It doesn't sound as though the problem went beyond that or that the mother was admitted to a hospital, though the book isn't clear on where exactly she is. Luckily it was only for a week, as Aubrey's Gram found her. It could have been alot longer and alot more dangerous for Aubrey. At no time was this addressed with Aubrey's mother. At no time is Aubrey's feelings about the tragedy or the abandonment or anything else ever addressed by her mother. After the mother starts to feel a little better, it is still all about how SHE feels. If she doesn't want to call Aubrey, she doesn't, even though Aubrey is waiting by the phone. If she doesn't want to contact her on Christmas, she doesn't, even though Aubrey is waiting at the window, searching for her, not even sending Aubrey a card. All communications revolve solely about how SHE is feeling, never Aubrey. One day she feels better enough, so just tells Aubrey, who by now is settled and stable and doing well with Gram, that SHE wants Aubrey to come back and live with her, and expects Aubrey to welcome her with open arms. I don't feel as though Aubrey's mother was a fit parent for her, even after she was supposedly "better," since her needs and wants and feelings came before her child's. I was very glad that Aubrey recognized that the place she felt safe and secure in, her real home, was with Gram.

The one false note I thought was the school counselor. I didn't get the feeling that she was listening to Aubrey at all, or getting to know her, which should have been the focus of their meetings, but just sort of running down a checklist of what Aubrey should do next. To me there was no reason Aubrey would have done any of the assignments, especially as they had not had time to establish any kind of rapport. It was unprofessional of Amy to ask her to deal directly with her losses before she knew Aubrey at all or how she would be able to cope.

Other posters have said that this book is good for girls, but I find the idea that it is beneath boys to ask them to read a book about a girl, offensive. I think that since the emotions are so clearly drawn in regard to trauma and abandonment, that any child would be able to relate to them.

This book is definitely five stars and Newbery Award material.

My daughter who is 10 years old absolutely loves this book. She said" Normally I read a book for three days and put it down, but this one I love it!" Its so true every time i look up she is reading the book or making notes in the book. She has even started a book club with all her friends about "Love, Aubrey" I'm really glad that she has taken to the book without me having to force her to finish reading it.

Really enjoyed this book. I bought it for my 9 year old daughter, but I found myself looking for other adults who read it. I wanted to talk about it. I wondered how true the story was, psychologically. Left me thinking, and with lots of questions. I thought my daughter would like the fact the girl lives with her grandma, and makes new friends. She said she liked it, but I think the story was a little complicated/confusing for her.

I'm 12 and loved this detailed book a heart warming story is the right name I supose. I give it a thumbs up to anyone who buys it money well spent in this tale. lol

this is the best book i have ever read. I encouraged all of my friends to read it and they all loved it. they said to me "you always pick the best books" and they are right :)

I heard about Love, Aubrey though another blog - though sadly I can't remember which. The title stuck with me, being that it's name is one that I am quite attached to.

You see, Aubrey is my daughters name, not only that but she's 10, so only one year younger than the Aubrey in the book.

Strangely the similarities did not end there - with in the pages of Love, Aubrey - Aubrey lives with her family in Virginia, we also live in Virginia - and while most of the story does not take place there, it struck a cord with me. Another striking coincidence is that Aubrey's middle name in the book is Lynne, my Aubrey's name is Lynn! Also, something else that struck me, is that my Aubrey and her brother are 4 years apart in age - the Aubrey in the book and her sister are 4 years apart in age as well.

As such, it was a bit strange reading...though Aubrey's life in the book is very different from my daughters; and I hope always is...the coincidences did get to me, I found them a bit eerie but also sorta fun! It added a different dimension to the book one I might not have had otherwise, which made the story and it's characters all the more real to me.

Now, onto my thoughts on the book - It's BEAUTIFULLY written. Being her first book LaFleur did an amazing job. It tugged at my heartstrings, and still hours after finishing it it's still tugging. It's not a novel I will forget any time soon...I loved little Aubrey, her resilience and her strength I found quite amazing, as well as extremely authentic, being that I have an Aubrey (of about the same age) the way that LaFleur portrayed Aubrey was very much what I would expect from my own daughter.

The only thing that I wish there was more of, is character development. I found myself adding bits of my Aubrey into the story. I would have loved to know more about what Aubrey's life was like before the accident - though there was some of that, I felt like I miss out on who she was before. Simple things like her favorite color, or activity. I also felt like her grandmother though, you could tell was quite strong, was not as developed as I would have liked. I want more of her.

That being said, there relationship between them rang very true...I could almost feel the love shared between the two of them, I just loved there tenderness. I could see how if you were in this kind of situation this is just how one might act and/or react, through out the story. LaFleur, is an amazing story teller and I will be looking out for any other book that she publishes!


Bottom Line - Love, Aubrey is a uniquely powerful book, it's got just enough silly in it to make you laugh, as well as enough sadness to make you shed at least one tear. It's a really amazing book that I am very glad I picked up!