Missing May (Yearling Newbery) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "When May died, Ob came back to the trailer, got out of his good suit and into his regular clothes, then went and sat in..." (more)
Key Phrases: Putnam County, Deep Water, West Virginia (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This wonderful book revolves around a few delightfully named characters: Summer, Uncle Ob, Aunt May and Cletus Underwood. After being passed among relatives, Summer joins her aunt and uncle and marvels at the couple's deep love for one another. But after Aunt May dies, Summer and Uncle Ob are brought together in their struggles to come to terms with the death. Cletus, a neighbor boy, comes along to help provide an answer. This simple and sweet story, which won the Newbery Medal in 1993, is injected with just the right touches of humor and mysticism.

From Publishers Weekly

This short novel is a study of grief--chiefly, that felt by Summer after her foster mother's sudden death, but also her sorrow at witnessing the grief of Ob, her foster father--she realizes that she herself may not be reason enough for him to go on living. And for several months it seems as if he may not in fact go on, until Summer and Ob take a short car trip that somehow transforms their lives. In a direct, matter-of-fact voice occasionally laced with irony and wry humor, Summer articulates many discerning insights about sorrow and loss. The reader remains a distant observer of her emotions, however--perhaps because the novel begins after May's death, making her a less immediate figure, perhaps because Summer's perceptions are quite sophisticated, even adult. And the novel's emotional turning point is difficult to grasp, either verbally or intuitively: all Summer, and we, know is that "something happened to Ob" to make him embrace life fully again. Ages 11-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440408652
• ISBN-13: 978-0440408659
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #993,219 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet, June 6, 2000

By A Customer

I'm not an adult, but I still enjoyed this story. Summer had an unconventional home: she lived with her great-aunt and uncle. She was content, until her aunt May died. Suddenly, Summer and her uncle Ob were wraiths of their former selves. Cletus, an eccentric classmate of Summer's, began visiting them and took their minds off May. But Ob was slowly losing the joy of living. In a quest to find closure, Summer, Ob, and Cletus went to find a spiritualist to help them communicate with May. Unfortunately, the medium too was dead. Somehow, though, they found a way to carry on. I liked the writing style, except for many run-on sentences that got annoying to read. The characters were pleasant people with pleasant names and sounded real enough to live next door. However, I didn't understand what brought back Ob's will to live as quickly as he had lost it. But I guess that happens sometimes in real life, on the roller coaster called grief. I reccomend this book to almost anyone, especially those who have lost loved ones.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching and haunting book, May 23, 1999

By A Customer

I got this book a long while ago - I think I started reading it about 2 and a half years ago, but I got bored with it and didn't read any more. Then yesterday I found it on a bookshelf, and remembered two and a half years ago when I put it down. I started reading it, and somehow it had a different effect on me. I truly see the value of this calm and peaceful book. True, it doesn't have a lot to keep a person interested, but if you persevere to the end, you might also see the value of this book. I just have to warn you first - you will not find any action or fantasy in this book. This made it quite realistic to me. You probably know the plot by now from other reviews (Summer lives with Ob & May - uncle & aunt; May dies; Summer & Ob grieve; A boy named Cletus Underwood from school reads about someone who might help them communicate with May...). The end is touching and I really think this book has to sink into your mind for you to see the real value of this. I am very knowledgeable about the Newbery criteria, and in my opinion, this is one of the best choices for the Newbery Medal ever. I hope you will like it too, but I do recommend checking it out from your library before buying it, because many people won't like this book. One more thing - I usually do not like books about people dying and their relatives grieving, but I made an exception for this book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Missing May, July 24, 2006

By	Brittany Viator (Louisiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After the death of Summer's mother, Summer is passed from one foster home to another at the age of only six years old. This is when a miracle happens. Aunt May and Uncle Ob decide to take her back with them to West Virginia. When Summer thinks her life is finally getting better, Aunt May dies. Both Summer and Uncle Ob are having a hard time coping with the death of their loved one. When things seem like they can get no worse, Cletus Underwood from her seventh grade class gets involved. Cletus ends up helping Summer discover a number of things about herself. She learns to deal with death and help Uncle Ob recover in a way she did not expect.

This is a great book to read. It helps both children and adults understand how to deal with losing a loved one. The author uses both humor and suspense to entice and captivate the reader.